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Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

reuters.com

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Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#11

Post by aboringusername »

It feels a bit hypocritical when Apple laughs at FB for complaining about their new tracking pop-up yet when the shoe's on the other foot and Apple may actually have to compete on its own platform they double down and defend their right to be judge, jury and executioner.

Apple competing with third party app stores on iOS is going to be amazing. No computer platform should be allowed to prevent sideloading or other stores from competing.

This isn't the case on Windows. This isn't the case on Android.

Or Linux for that matter.

It's more disappointing it takes 10 years for regulators to step-in and say "that's bad, no more, open up your platform".

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#12

Post by zpeti »

aboringusername wrote: post #11

It feels a bit hypocritical when Apple laughs at FB for complaining about their new tracking pop-up yet when the shoe's on the other foot and Apple may actually have to compete on its own platform they double down and defend their right to be judge, jury and executioner. Apple competing with third party app stores on iOS is going to be amazing. No computer platform should be allowed to prevent sideloading or other st…

One of the absolutely obvious hypocritical things for me is that they don't allow anyone to say in their app that "Apple gets 30% of this fee"

That's the equivalent of the IDFA message for Facebook. Which everyone will see, its worded in a very negative way, and it's a must.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#13

Post by Wowfunhappy »

> Apple said its rules applied equally to all developers and that Epic had violated them.

All developers except Amazon, they mean.

Now that it has happened, I'm actually surprised it took Epic this long to file suit in the EU. Given Europe's stronger antitrust enforcement and general skepticism of tech giants, Epic likely has a stronger case there than in the US. If I were Epic, I'd have wanted to have both lawsuits ready to go simultaneously.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#14

Post by dleslie »

aboringusername wrote: post #11

It feels a bit hypocritical when Apple laughs at FB for complaining about their new tracking pop-up yet when the shoe's on the other foot and Apple may actually have to compete on its own platform they double down and defend their right to be judge, jury and executioner. Apple competing with third party app stores on iOS is going to be amazing. No computer platform should be allowed to prevent sideloading or other st…

On the one hand, Apple is acting as a store curator and demanding that its customers be made aware of tracking software.

On the other hand, Apple is acting as a platform owner and demanding that they continue to act as the sole store curator on their platform.

I do not see the hypocrisy.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#15

Post by ChrisLomont »

aboringusername wrote: post #11

It feels a bit hypocritical when Apple laughs at FB for complaining about their new tracking pop-up yet when the shoe's on the other foot and Apple may actually have to compete on its own platform they double down and defend their right to be judge, jury and executioner. Apple competing with third party app stores on iOS is going to be amazing. No computer platform should be allowed to prevent sideloading or other st…

>No computer platform should be allowed to prevent sideloading or other stores from competing.

How does this differ from "any programmable electronics should allow sideloading"? I don't see that as a very workable solution, legally, practically, or even in a pro-consumer sense.

It would certainly drive the cost of most electronics up incredibly as all devices would need to produce APIs and upgradeability.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#16

Post by oaiey »

drinkcocacola wrote: post #8
pjmlp wrote: post #2

Good luck, iDevices are a very tiny portion of European mobile market. Looking forward to the EpicOS Phone, running yet another SDL/Qt variant.

If I were a mobile phone manufacturing company, I won't call 30% of European market a "tiny portion".

Especially considering that the iPhone is an enabler for all other Apple devices.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#17

Post by jonwinstanley »

aboringusername wrote: post #11

It feels a bit hypocritical when Apple laughs at FB for complaining about their new tracking pop-up yet when the shoe's on the other foot and Apple may actually have to compete on its own platform they double down and defend their right to be judge, jury and executioner. Apple competing with third party app stores on iOS is going to be amazing. No computer platform should be allowed to prevent sideloading or other st…

> No computer platform should be allowed to prevent sideloading or other stores from competing

What about platforms like Playstation or the computers built into Teslas etc, should we allow sideloading on those? How do you define a platform?

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#18

Post by gwd »

ehvatum wrote: post #4

There is room for 3rd party app stores. Epic will argue that Apple does an absolutely ghastly terrible job of curating the Apple app store, as Apple really has little incentive not to suck completely. The EU court will agree. Apple will spend a year or two saying “it can’t be done”, then issue a signing certificate to Epic.

> There is room for 3rd party app stores.

The "Apple Tax" pays for the maintenance of the Apple ecosystem. Epic wants access to this amazing ecosystem, but resents having to help pay to support it.

Either "third party" app stores will also pay to support this ecosystem, in which case Epic will be paying the same amount either way; or they'll fail to support the ecosystem, in which case Apple will be forced to turn to other sources to make revenue (like selling personal information).

Right now I, as the consumer, can choose between an ecosystem whose business model is based on selling personal information (Android) or an ecosystem whose business model is based on the end user paying more (Apple). Don't take that choice away from me.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#19

Post by fartcannon »

ehvatum wrote: post #4

There is room for 3rd party app stores. Epic will argue that Apple does an absolutely ghastly terrible job of curating the Apple app store, as Apple really has little incentive not to suck completely. The EU court will agree. Apple will spend a year or two saying “it can’t be done”, then issue a signing certificate to Epic.

And Sweeney will take it, claiming a victory for the 'little guy'. Shameless.

Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint

#20

Post by newbie578 »

Full support to Epic! Time to bring some balance. Would also love to have Apple allow api access to PWAs, they are hindering progress of PWAs just because of the App Store money.

Would love to hear Tim Apple's opinion on this stuff, on being in this position. I remember quite fondly how he berated Facebook and Zuck personally, by saying he as a CEO would never be in such a situation regarding media scrutiny and regulatory issues.

Oh how the tables turn.. As a dev, I do not like Apple an ounce more than Facebook. So kudos to Tim Sweeney..

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