Since before the App Store even launched, indie developers have been been writing and tweeting about perceived flaws in how Apple manages it. Conversations around those posts and tweets inevitably lead to comments like: “Apple cares about customers, not developers.” or “The App Store is doing just fine, Apple said $X billion was paid to developers.” or “I only use Facebook, the App Store doesn’t need any more apps.” or “Apple doesn’t owe you a living.” or “I don’t hear App Store shoppers complaining.” and so on.
The App Store is absolutely doing quite well, and billions have been paid to developers, but that doesn’t mean all is well with the App Store. And it certainly doesn’t mean the current trajectory of the App Store is optimal for Apple or iOS users. I think a lot of people, including people inside Apple, often miss the App Store forest for the trees.
While Apps like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Pintrest, WhatsApp, and others are certainly pillars of the iOS ecosystem and are indispensable to millions of users, it’s the tens of thousands of other great apps that makes iOS unique. Android has been gaining ground in attracting the big names to the Play Store, but outside those top apps, it’s generally a wasteland of crap and ripoffs. And that matters.
According to Nielsen, the average smartphone owner uses 26.8 apps on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, Nielsen doesn’t seem to have estimated the number of unique apps in use on a monthly basis, but it would likely be at least 100k. Even though the majority of people who own a smartphone use Facebook, they each have a unique set of apps that are important enough to use monthly.
To a surfer, a surf report app is essential. To a builder, a construction calculator is essential. To a nurse, a drug interaction app is essential. To a frequent traveler, a translation app is essential. To a musician, a guitar tuner app is essential. And so on.
Big apps like Facebook may be far more important to iOS than a guitar tuner app, but it’s important that a few great guitar tuner apps exist on iOS. If the financial incentive to build and maintain great niche apps dries up, the beautiful and diverse forest of apps that is the App Store will slowly start to look more like the unkempt Play Store. That’s why Apple should (and does) listen to feedback from indie developers.