If you trust the AppStore, just use that.

If other people want to use other sources, that shouldn't affect you.

I'm not saying I agree with Apple's approach, but it does affect you.

Just by having alternative sources, developers might choose to only be available on those sources, whether it's for a better revenue cut or because of their principles.

See for example what's going on with exclusives for Epic store and Steam. Whether that's a good or bad thing is a different question.

It certainly affects you if:

(1) Apple, seeing drastically reduced app revenue, stops investing as much in the app store, dev tools, etc. Or increases their hardware prices;

(2) third party stores pay for exclusive apps;

(3) malware is installed by people with your contact info and communications;

(4) even if no intent to use, the malware risk is there and you're a few drunk clicks from losing your bank account.

#1 Apple makes enough money. If they don't want to support their app store, than that is choice they're making.

#2 Frankly this is much like the situation we're in now. Only that we there are no other options. This eventuality is surely less bad than the current actuality.

#3 Malware is already installed by people you are in contact with. And nothing prevents a 3rd party store from having equally rigorous testing as Apple.

#4 You're a few drunk swipes away from emptying your credit card today.

Sure, I can understand those arguments in favour of having a 3rd party store, but that's not what the parent is arguing, nor what you said in your original post. All of these do affect the user. You think it would be a better ecosystem, but some users would not agree it's a strictly better approach. I for one don't.

The issue at hand here is even for a company that has an app in the App Store that exposes no way to buy a subscription in the app at all, Apple will force you to put in the Apple IAP option, of which they will take a 30% cut.

And yet, they make exceptions for big and powerful companies like Netflix or Google.

Source? I’ve been an iOS dev since 2010 and I haven’t seen this happen. I’m not saying it hasn’t, especially in isolated incidents, but I’d like to see some examples.

That is literally the issue that Hey is having right now. They have provided no means of subscribing inside the app, but now Apple is telling them that they'll remove the app from the App Store if they don't add Apple IAP. Meanwhile, Basecamp has operated the same way for years. The rationale Apple gave was that Basecamp is primarily a business app, but if that is the case, how does Gmail get away with the same thing?

Meanwhile Netflix, Gmail, Uber, and a couple of other big apps don't use the Apple IAP system.

This sounds exactly like the isolated example i was talking about. Apple is clearly in the wrong here, and this will get resolved. There are tens of thousands of apps out there that don’t offer IAP that you need a subscription purchased elsewhere to use.

Again, Apple is in the wrong here, but this is not a good example of a widespread pattern imo. Not something worth an antitrust case over.