Court says Apple's App monopoly must fall to reduce prices.
From Macrumors:
“A U.S. Appeals Court today ruled that App Store customers can move forward with a lawsuit claiming Apple created an illegal app monopoly because it did not allow users to purchase iPhone apps outside of the App Store, reports Reuters.
The decision reverses a 2013 ruling that dismissed the lawsuit, originally filed in 2012. The case, Pepper et al v. Apple Inc., alleges that by not letting users purchase apps from third-party sources, there was no price competition, leading to higher app prices.
When the lawsuit was originally filed, Apple requested that it be dismissed because developers, not Apple, set prices for App Store apps. Apple simply provides the platform developers use to sell apps to customers.
According to today’s ruling, because iPhone users purchase the apps directly from Apple, they have the right to file a lawsuit against the company.
An attorney for the plaintiffs in the case told Reuters that the aim of the lawsuit is to allow people to shop for iPhone apps wherever they want, an outcome that’s unlikely due to security implications.”
Monopoly's are ultimately never good for consumers, but security concerns affect people to a similar degree, and being able to purchase outside of the App Store would significantly degrade Apple's ability to police such systems.
Also, for the record, every gamer knows that the App Store doesn't have a "price is too high" problem. It has a "free to play than secretly gouge you out of house and home problem.