Apple has always been a control freak. If you want to build on its precious iOS platform, you have to play by its rules, which include submitting to sometimes arbitrary demands and handing over 30% of any revenue you make. For consumers, this arrangement has mostly worked out well. It means nice phones and a secure app environment—even if Apple's controlling behavior means less innovation and putting up with crummy software like iTunes.
But lately, it feels like Apple, like monopolists everywhere, is getting greedy. The latest example is its decision to kneecap a feature in Coinbase Wallet that lets users send each other NFTs. As Coinbase explained this week, Apple made the decision because the crypto company won't hand over 30% of the Ethereum gas fees such transactions entail.
