Apple is planning a major renovation of its App Store. A major management change is coming in October, reports financial news agency Bloomberg. Matthew “Matt” Fischer, who has been responsible for the App Store business since 2010 and currently holds the position of vice president, will leave the company. Apple is taking the opportunity to split the App Store team: in the future, there will be one team responsible for Apple’s existing App Store and another looking after so-called alternative app marketplaces. Apple is obliged to set them up by regulation under EU law Digital Markets Act (DMA), among other things.
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One manager becomes two
The top boss of the App Store remains Apple Fellow and former marketing chief Phil Schiller, from whom the split now appears to be starting. Fisher worked at Apple for a total of 21 years. He had been thinking about leaving “our great company” for some time. “And as we are also restructuring the team to better address new challenges and opportunities, now is the right time to hand over the reins to two excellent leaders from my team.”
Their names are Carson Oliver, who currently holds the position of “senior director”, and Ann Thai, the director responsible for App Store functions such as search. Oliver will handle the “old” App Store and Thai will be responsible for alternative distribution channels, possibly including new, alternative payment methods offered by Apple. For Apple, this is a lot of money: at the moment, the App Store alone is expected to generate $20 billion in sales per year. The service business grows every year and helps Apple compensate for weak growth, for example with the iPhone.
Development of new fee structures – EU investigates
Fisher was also responsible for Apple Arcade – it is not clear who will take over the game subscription service. Recently, game developers had a meeting here Inadequate care complained. The manager actually came to Apple in 2003 to become the head of iTunes marketing. In 2010, his time began in the App Store area, where he is said to have last reported to Schiller.
Apple is gradually adapting its business model in the App Store to conform to the regulations. Starting this year it is likely to set up alternative app marketplaces, for which the group collects fees. Actual sideloading is only possible for a few app providers, as Apple requires high download numbers. Companies like Epic and Spotify, which have been committed to regulating the App Store for years, are frustrated and are accusing Apple of using various tactics to circumvent the DMA. In turn, the EU Commission is continuing to investigate Apple and threaten high fines.
(B.Sc.)
