Lyft would only go out of business (without an iOS app) because there are Lyft competitors who won't cede the Apple customer segment. If all those players stayed Android-only, not only would they survive, but they'd be turning Android into a more compelling alternative. But this would require two things - for them to collude to stay off iOS, and for no new competitors to write an iOS app.
If having access to the Apple customer segment is the difference between success or failure - even despite the 30% tariff - then why is it strange that access to that segment has a price? This is a market.
That’d be a fair point if the Google Play store didn’t charge the same 30% fees. As things stand, you have no choice but to pay these fees if you want to distribute a native app to smartphone customers.
That’s why the market isn’t fair. Because two companies control essentially all app distribution, and can charge whatever fees they want with no credible challenge from any market force.
These companies have also shown they intend to squeeze the market for whatever they can without any sympathy for consumers or app developers. I think the only reasonable option is for the government to step in with antitrust measures.
I agree with you but I think a far more effective way to "win" this for consumers, would be to press both Apple and Google to clarify disambiguate the 30% from the total cost to the consumer. i.e. just like on a grocery receipt where you clearly see the sales tax you pay as a separate item from the price charged by the vendor, this is what people should be fighting for - both in the app stores, and on the receipts that are emailed to people for their purchases.
It would (a) make the tariff visible to all consumers not just the techies, and subsequently (b) create significant customer-led pressure to lower the tarrif (I suspect something on the order of 10% would probably be acceptable to most customers as that aligns with typical sales taxes give or take).
I think price transparency would be a good start towards lowering fees. I doubt that Apple or Google would do even this without being forced to, though.
If having access to the Apple customer segment is the difference between success or failure - even despite the 30% tariff - then why is it strange that access to that segment has a price? This is a market.