• The App Economy
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The App Economy

$41.95
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Available open access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. Mobile apps have transformed how we live, work and connect – but at what cost? This book examines the immense power Apple and Google wield...
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  • 24 February 2026
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Available open access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

Mobile apps have transformed how we live, work and connect – but at what cost?

This book examines the immense power Apple and Google wield over society, arising from their control of app stores as well as mobile operating systems and browsers. With the EU’s new Digital Services Act defining their influence as a potential 'systemic risk', Konrad Kollnig unpacks the implications for competition, privacy, and regulation.

Offering a clear roadmap for scholars as well as policy makers, this book not only reveals the hidden risks of app ecosystems but also outlines practical solutions for ensuring fairer digital markets.

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Price: $41.95
Pages: 190
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Imprint: Bristol University Press
Publication Date: 24 February 2026
ISBN: 9781529247701
Format: Paperback
BISACs: SOCIAL SCIENCE / Technology Studies, Digital and information technologies: social and ethical aspects, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Industries / Computers & Information Technology, COMPUTERS / Social Aspects, LAW / Science & Technology, Impact of science and technology on society, Data protection law, Media studies: internet, digital media and society, Ethical issues: scientific, technological and medical developments
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‘This is a panoramic and perceptive view on a key digital infrastructure: the app store. While it often recedes invisibly into the background, Kollnig shines a light on why it must be taken seriously as an important source of digital power. Highly recommended!’ Nick Srnicek, author of Platform Capitalism, King’s College London
Konrad Kollnig is Assistant Professor in Technology Law at Maastricht University and holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Oxford.

1 Introduction: Welcome the Rulers of the App Economy

Part I: Foundations

2 An Introduction to the App Economy for Non-Techies

3 A Brief History of the App Economy: From Landline to AI

4 The Legal Framework of App Stores

5 App Research with Technical and Legal Methods

Part II: Risks

6 App Monetisation and Moderation

7 (The Lack of) Data Protection, Privacy and the Rule of Law

8 Health, Autonomy and Addiction

9 Smartphones on Wheels? Sustainability of and beyond the App Economy

Part III: Conclusions

10 How Apple and Google exert their Dominance over Society

11 How to respond to Apple and Google’s Dominance

12 Concluding Thoughts: Building App Infrastructure to Withstand Geopolitics