Apple App Store: Is Apple Taking Advantage Of App Developers?

Apple’s September software updates include such items as a menstrual cycle tracker for women, the ability to use an iPad as a second screen and keyboard swiping technology – all enhancements that will make a number of apps in its the App Store obsolete, putting pressure on independent developers who depend on Apple for their existence.

This isn’t the first time Apple (AAPL) has rendered independent apps obsolete without warning. The flashlight function is among the more ubiquitous that come to mind, yet many developers don’t even think about suing the tech giant.

“It’s a love-hate relationship, of course. You don’t want to annoy the milkman when you only have one milkman,” Ida Tin, CEO of Clue, which allows women to track their menstrual cycles, told the Washington Post.

“I definitely believe Apple targeted us when it brought out its own service,” Viktor Yevpak, who developed a digital service that allowed parents to track their children’s mobile habits. He told Politico his product was removed from the App Store allegedly for violating Apple’s privacy policies. Apple then rolled out its own parental controls.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once admitted the company had been “shameless about stealing great ideas.” The App Store gives Apple exclusive access to a trove of ideas, collecting data on which apps are the most successful and even monitoring how much time users spend using the apps, allowing Apple to make strategic decisions on what to incorporate.

“I think Apple gets a lot of inspiration from apps that are on the App Store,” Phillip Shoemaker, who served as Apple’s director of App Store review from 2009 to 2016, told the Post.

Apple spokesman Fred Sainz noted in a statement there are 2 million apps in the App Store, creating an environment of healthy competition. CEO Tim Cook denied earlier this year the company is a monopoly, denying Apple has a “dominant position in any market.”

But Apple’s overall power may prove its biggest weakness as regulators look into antitrust issues. The U.S., European regulators, Japan and Russia all have opened antitrust investigations amid allegations from consumers they are paying outsize premiums.

“There’s a lot of pressure to act,” Ioannis Lianos, chair of global competition law and public policy at University College London, told Politico. “What we’re seeing with Apple is a significant development for antitrust actions.”

The European Commission is planning to start work in November while the U.S. Justice Department has its own investigation underway of online platforms.

Japan’s Fair Trade Commission is trying to determine whether Apple coerced Japanese parts makers into supplying technology and knowledge for free. Japanese news outlet Mainichi reported Apple pressured 10 electronic and optical parts makers to hand over intellectual property if they wanted to continue doing business with Apple.

The Russian investigation involves Apple’s decision to remove parental controls from its App Store as it released its own service.