I have such mixed feelings about Apple’s App Store and the way it is handled. On one hand it is great for users as they know every piece of software they download won’t be stealing their information or act as a virus. (Yes, there are missed things but for the most part this has been true and Apple quickly fixes the security issues.) On the other hand, it has destroyed the price of software, made marketing a product except by word of mouth nearly impossible, and makes testing with more than a few people painful.

Given that, though, I do respect Apple for its consistency. If this report is to be believed then Apple basically told Microsoft they can pay the same rate as everyone else.

So the company has been pushing Apple to adjust the 70/30 revenue split in its developer license agreement. Predictably, Apple has refused to comply. It’s not yet clear what sort of concession Microsoft is seeking, but whatever it is, Apple’s evidently not willing to consider it. Indeed, I’m told it has taken a “the rules are the rules” stance, which would suggest it’s not at all willing to negotiate a different split.

There are no favorites in Apple’s world. The rules are the rules. I heard similar stories from a friend regarding Apple’s developer conference. He works in a massively huge organization and Apple set a five passes per company rule for the conference. No exceptions were made, even for this big company that has hundreds who could attend.

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[via Daring Fireball]