Apple says its App Store supports more than 243,000 jobs in Canada and that even amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this is an increase of more than 18 percent year over year.
The press release goes on to say that Canadian developers have generated more than $2 billion in total earnings, a 20 percent increase in 2020 when compared to 2019. Further, Apple says 90 percent of Canadian developer revenue comes from outside of Canada.
“The App Store has become a powerful engine of economic growth in Canada and around the world since it launched in 2008,” writes Apple in a recent press release. Apple also highlights several notable Canadian App Store developers that have continued to thrive amid the pandemic, including childrens’ app developer Sago Mini, news aggregation service Ground News, media creation app FILM3D and more.
The release comes following a wide-ranging Toronto Star interview with Tim Cook regarding the tech giant’s App Store and its ongoing legal battle with Epic, the company behind Fortnite.
Last August, Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store after Epic implemented its own in-app payment system to avoid paying the tech giant’s 30 percent commission. While Apple claims this was an intentional move on Epic’s part to stoke conflict between the two companies, Epic argues that the App Store and its review process are anti-competitive.
Apple eventually revealed it would cut its commission to 15 percent for developers that make less than $1 million USD (roughly $1.2 million CAD) in the App Store. Google also implemented similar changes to its Play Store commission.
During the interview, Cook emphasizes that App Store “curation” results in more security and privacy for users.
“At the heart of the Epic complaint is they’d like developers to each put in their own payment information. But that would make the App Store a flea market and you know the confidence level you have at the flea market,” said Cook in the interview with the Toronto Star.
Apple recently revealed that Kyle Andeer, its chief compliance officer, will testify before the U.S. Senate regarding the App Store. The company initially stated it would not send a witness to the hearing, but eventually relented and agreed Andeer would speak.
For the Toronto Star’s full interview with Tim Cook, follow this link.
Source: Apple Via: Toronto Star
