A proposed commission is not an implemented tariff. Apple’s August filing concerns purchases reached through links in US App Store apps, and its economics require more than comparing percentages.
A request to the court
Apple's August 13 court filing, document 1708, requests US link-out rates of 15% for standard apps, 10% for specified partner programs and subscription renewals, and 5% for Small Business Program apps. These are Apple's proposed categories, not a new global fee schedule established by that filing.
The document is advocacy by a party. Its economic claims should not be presented as findings by the judge. We have not established a subsequent order adopting these rates.
Apple's current App Review Guidelines, section 3.1.1(a) separately describe the US storefront exception for external purchase links. Link permission, the commission dispute and rules for other storefronts are distinct questions. The European terms cannot simply be substituted into this US story.
Follow one hypothetical $100 payment
Consider a deliberately simplified transaction, before taxes and refunds. At a 15% commission, $85 remains before payment processing; at 10%, $90; at 5%, $95. Now suppose an external processor costs $3 per transaction. The remainders become $82, $87 and $92. These are our calculations, not quoted processor prices or guaranteed developer earnings.
The cover shows the three deductions on the same $100 base. It does not assign a developer to a program or resolve overlapping eligibility rules. Actual accounting also needs the contractual fee base, chargebacks, tax handling and the costs of customer support.
The checkout can change the result
Suppose a fictional in-app flow produces 100 purchases of $100, with $70 retained per purchase: $7,000. An external flow retaining $82 needs at least 86 purchases to exceed that amount: 85 yields $6,970, while 86 yields $7,052.
This illustrates why a lower commission alone does not establish a better commercial outcome. Sending a customer to a different checkout can change completion rates and support work. Measure purchases per comparable group of visitors, not only the margin on completed transactions. Keep the proposed legal terms, your processor's actual contract and the observed checkout results in separate columns of the decision.
Identify US court proposal as a party filing, not an adopted worldwide fee; separate commission arithmetic from checkout conversion and contribution.