Study: Apple only collects in 10 percent of app sales

The picture that politicians, judges, regulators and critics have grown has now burned in with many: Apple as an unpopular customs officer who, with providers of apps and digital services for passing the iPhone, is often triggered by the hand and massages the only way to the customer. And that despite the fact that it only raises the barrier tree and has long since had a profit in the cash register for the entertainment of his ecosystem. The new German gatekeepers described large tech giants are the focus of the regulators at the EU Commission. The tone has long since become rougher in the USA. Only there, as in the case of Epic, the argument takes place in court.

Apple could help an international study to get the sovereignty of interpretation of how much the iPhone manufacturer really earns back in the use of the devices. At least the paper from economists from Boston University and the Analysis Group, which was supported by Apple, should apparently expand the view. The company, which the study is currently currently distributing to media representatives, does not reveal how far the support was whether the study was financed or only supported with data. However, the conclusions and opinions expressed are only that of the authors, is emphasized in the 17-page paper.

The researchers have taken a closer look at developer sales and sales. The result supports Apple’s efforts to put its share in another light: Apple does not collect any commission for more than 90 percent of these sales, it says.

$ 1.3 trillion sales worldwide

And even more: the analysis increases the statement from the iPhone ecosystem as a large economic factor. There is talk of sales and sales of $ 1.3 trillion worldwide in 2024 alone-and no, the author did not fall into the typical translation error that the English trillion is “only” a billion in German.

With $ 1.014 trillion (78 percent), physical goods and services that are sold via apps make up the largest share of total sales-such as grocery deliveries or online shopping. As a rule, Apple does not earn anything here, since these transactions do not run via the in -house payment system.

Digital goods and services, in which Apple raises its controversial 15 to 30 percent commission, made up only $ 131 billion (10 percent). In-app advertising generated another $ 150 billion (12 percent), of which Apple also does not receive any direct revenue.

Economic factor App ecosystem is growing

The study also shows how the economic factor of smartphone has increased in recent years: since 2019, sales have more than doubled, from $ 514 billion to the current $ 1.3 trillion. Physical goods and services grew particularly strongly by 162 percent, driven by the increased demand for grocery deliveries and online shopping. The Ridesharing segment recorded the strongest growth with an increase of 334 percent, followed by digital payment services (+241 percent) and food delivery services (+222 percent). Even the slowest growth segment, the food delivery services, still increased by 57 percent.

Regionally, there are clear differences: China dominates overall sales with $ 539 billion, followed by the USA (406 billion) and Europe (148 billion). In Europe, Great Britain in particular is ahead of $ 55.1 billion. Germany is given as $ 21.5 billion-with the largest proportions in the areas of online trade ($ 5.9 billion), trip ($ 5.7 billion) and in-app advertising (US dollar). In China, physical goods even make up 90 percent of the app store turnover, significantly more than in other regions. The United States, on the other hand, leads to digital goods and in-app advertising-the areas in which Apple actually collects commissions. Here the company achieved more than twice as high sales as in China or Europe.