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By Paula Planelles Manzanaro
Facebook has unveiled plans to minimise Apples influence in supplying applications with a new campaign to provide end users with new apps choices. At present, the Apple store charges fees for those who pay for apps using their mobile phones. The in-app purchases are routed via the Apple iTunes service or through Google’s payment mechanism. But Facebook plans to route the purchases directly to user’s mobile phone bill.
The new plan would increase Facebook’s success and would pose a new challenge for Apple, as this would allow content companies to create web-based applications that did not need to be routed through iTunes, according to Martin Gather, of CCS Insight. This would reduce the fees that Apple charges to the users: 30 per cent of their revenue from in-app purchases to the American company, according to a report published by The Times.
The social network is expanding its market signing by acquiring mobile companies. Brent Taylor, Facebook’s chief technology officer, said in the Mobile World Congress, which took place in Barcelona, that the firm had joined big companies such as Vodafone, Orange, Samsung, Intel, Nokia and Netflix for its new project.
With the new scheme, Facebook aims to increase its success, which has already been proved. For instance, Mr. Taylor stated that Spotify, the online music service, has increased its users since it was integrated into Facebook. In addition, people were twice likely to pay for a subscription if they logged in Spotify via the social network, he added.
Facebook’s latest challenge is a proof of mobile market’s importance, as about 425 million connect Facebook through their phones. “Fundamentally, Facebook is a mobile company”, Mr. Taylor concluded.
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