> I think you, as the consumer, are the one who pays.

And you somehow think reducing the commission to, say, 5%, will reduce prices?

I cannot say that it will, though in theory the businesses that want to compete would want to pass the savings to the consumers while staying profitable. But I can say with certainty that increasing the commission will increase the prices. Companies do not pay this fee/commission out of their own pockets.

> in theory the businesses that want to compete would want to pass the savings to the consumers while staying profitable

This is the app market, not the wheat flour market. Most of the time the apps aren't interchangeable. At least those that provide some value *. So... they will charge what the market will bear.

Do you see Apple reducing their commission from 30% to 5% and changing the 0.99 price to 0.79? I don't.

* ok, not flashlight and TODO apps.

Edit: actually Apple reduced the commission from 30% to 15% for some apps. Did you see any app at 0.84 in the app store? Didn't think so...

Correct. I, the consumer, see a price on an app, and either I pay it, or I don't.

How the pie gets divvied up is no skin off my nose. None of my business.