Apple has always claimed not to know how much money it makes from the App Store. Phil Schiller, the app store's boss, claimed during an antitrust trial last year that he thought the App Store was profitable... without being able to provide a single figure. An absolutely astonishing statement coming from a company with a culture of profitability at its core.
Losing control of the goose that lays the golden eggs
To find out how much the App Store makes, you have to turn to Appfigures. Last year, the store generated $33.6 billion in revenue in the United States: thanks to its commission (from 15 to 30%) on in-app purchases, Apple recovered nearly a third of that, or $10 billion. The amount pocketed by the manufacturer has more than doubled in four years: in 2020, the sum amounted to 4.7 billion for 15.8 billion in gross revenue.
These figures help to understand why Apple is so fiercely defending its commission. Under these conditions, it's difficult to imagine the company letting its share slip away without resistance. It was precisely this reluctance and apparent unwillingness to open its store that led to a resounding court ruling a few days ago: Apple was forced to allow external links in apps, allowing developers to circumvent its infamous tax.
Apple had no choice but to comply, but that hasn't stopped it from filing multiple appeals. An appeal of the decision is underway, and the company has urgently requested a suspension of the store's opening—many developers have obviously jumped at the chance to update their apps! Apple didn't give specific figures, only citing a loss of several million, if not billions, dollars.
Source: TechCrunch
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