Google Books is sent walking by Apple as they rule against including the app in the iTunes App Store

All Apple wants is a little piece of the pie if you are going to be collecting money within your app.  That is one rule that has sent some good apps walking away from the iTunes App Store.  One of the most well known apps is Google Books, which recently was rejected from the iTunes App Store and cannot be found anywhere for the iOS.  Google Books, like many other e-reader apps, have found that new rule annoying and won’t get accepted by Apple, for now.  The new rule says that any app where items are sold within said app must be shared with Apple, a rule that could cut into profit margins of developers by some 30 percent.

Typically, Apple was not really enforcing the rule, but since Google Books was booted, it seems that has changed.  Other e-reader apps have complied and made changes to their app to allow for the “commission” that Apple is requiring, but that is not true for all the apps.  If a developer does not want Apple to take a cut, they must remove any way of purchasing items from the app.  That way a user would have to download the app, buy an eBook elsewhere, and then access it through the app, which is likely to annoy users enough to stop using those apps.  Developers do not want Apple to take more of what they make, so this option might be the only one, even if it could devastate their product.

Other than Google Books, Amazon’s Kindle app is likely to be the most popular and hasn’t made any changes as of yet.  Amazon is likely to change their app just like Barnes & Noble and Kobo have recently, to comply with the new rules.  Because users will now not be able to make a purchase right in the app, many users are going to go about it another way.  Ebook app developers are not making tons of money, no matter how many eBooks you sell and now Apple wants to take another 30 percent?  That is going to kill eBook apps altogether, but the users are the real losers in this battle.

Getting an eBook right away, through an app, is the fastest way to do so.  Users want things cheap and fast and if you take either one away, you are going to see a drop in use, say some experts.  If users complain enough, maybe Apple will change the rules back or at least drop the amount of commission per sale.