Apple Boasts 300k New US App Store Jobs

Apple says it has created 300,000 jobs in the US through its App Store economy since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, though the company is under pressure for its restrictive App Store policies.

More than 2.1 million US jobs are now supported through the App Store ecosystem, according to Apple – a 15 per cent increase on last year.

With the pandemic forcing people to find new ways to work, study, and socialise from home, apps have become important to daily life, the manufacturer said.

“The App Store provides support for remote ordering from restaurants, vibrant and impactful remote learning for students, telehealth for patients and doctors, and digital commerce for small businesses.

“For the entrepreneurs who create these apps and the teams that design them, this produces lasting and sustainable economic opportunities, as evidenced by the double-digit growth in new app economy jobs across dozens of states since last year,” said Apple.

Apple is currently battling a lawsuit over the App Store from Fortnite developer Epic Games, with increased scrutiny from a number of sectors over the so-called “Apple Tax”: a 30% fee imposed by Apple on subscriptions and in-app purchases made through the App Store. Fortnite was removed from the App Store, and Epic’s developer account terminated, over its provision of an alternative method for in-app Fortnite purchases in breach of App Store rules.

On its website, Epic has accused Apple of “intentionally sabotaging” iOS devices to prevent consumers from installing software direct from developers.

“We know this is an intentional strategy because iOS does fully support installing software from the web — but only allows it for corporations.

“Apple uses this direct-installation blockade in order to force consumers to use their App Store, and then demands that game developers use their payment processing service. By blocking consumer choice in software installation, Apple has created a problem so they can profit from the solution,” it said.