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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

#531

Post by AttakBanana »

ntsplnkv2 wrote: post #490
reader_mode wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meh - eventually things work out for the best of the consumers most of the time - for eg. epic game store just gave a bunch of titles free no strings attached a while ago, EA store used to have free stuff as well. End of the day you have to have enough value to get people to inconvenience themselves - I'd rather that this value gets shelled out to users as enticement to install some app store than Apple capturing tha…

This is short-sighted. The App Store is good because it is closed and curated. That's a main driver of the product experience. Removing the App Store irrecoverably damages the iPhone - a curated, non-malware infested, high quality phone with a consistent experience. I have yet to see any argument how the App Store harms consumers. It helps developers make more money (Play Store revenue is half that of the App store's…

Um, the harm is 30% more expensive apps. If devs can't avoid the cut, its only going to get passed down to the user.

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

#532

Post by LexGray »

CivBase wrote: post #449
jpttsn wrote: post #410

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So they would be unable to ban the Pirate Bay Store, the Scamcoin Drug Store, the Cracked Epic Games Store, the Tiananmen 1989 Store?

They could, of course, ban third-party stores from their own app distribution platforms. Otherwise, I imagine not, in the same way that most other general purpose operating systems cannot "ban" things like that. I suppose they could require all apps to be signed and subject to remote signature verification before the OS lets you install them.

This sort of banning is the very thing Epic appears to be trying to prevent. I would guess their legal endgame is to forbid anyone but government agencies impending a store for any reason. Once this is in place there will be no legal way prevent Apple from securing devices from bad actors in the store space.

Edit: In this scenario I am guessing it will not be Apple, but the government who will need to step in and sell store licenses to prevent illegal content... so yay for bribed big government over authoritarian Apple.

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

#533

Post by jamesgeck0 »

yellowapple wrote: post #499
bombela wrote: post #493

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many standalone downloads in fact come with the publisher app store. Thay must runs in order to start the game. The end result is the same. And the store will update the game anyways, often re-downloading the equivalent of half the game (we are talking 50GB scale here). Sometimes you can use another publisher app store. Which will in fact start another app store upon starting the game. In turn starting the game. And…

> Sometimes you can use another publisher app store. Which will in fact start another app store upon starting the game. Not saying this doesn't ever happen, but I've used Steam for more than a decade now and not once have I seen that happen, ever. Yes, some games have separate launchers, and yes, sometimes these have support for their own separate accounts and mod loaders and such, but not once have they actually bee…

Practically every game from EA or Ubisoft on Steam published within the last eight years or so does this.

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

#534

Post by wazanator »

malka wrote: post #522

Should we force Nintendo as well to allow people to side load apps ? Because I don't see the difference with Apple.

There's a big difference between a personal cell phone that you use every day of your life and might be your only computer and is advertised as such and an entertainment console.

That said I agree and think Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft should have to open up their platforms for side loading.

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

#535

Post by mbreese »

I wonder if this isn’t going to have the opposite effect. If Apple doesn’t get to restrict application developers through the App Store, then will they follow the gaming console model of restricting access to the SDK? I mean, this isn’t a new issue. It’s been the bane of game distribution for as long as we’ve had independent game developers. But if you want to have some semblance of control over a software ecosystem, could there be a similar shift where users could install whatever software they’d like... but the developers would have to be better vetted by Apple first?

For the sake of argument, let’s just assume there are legitimate security/privacy concerns here and ignore competitive issues a la Spotify for now.

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

#536

Post by chromanoid »

mbreese wrote: post #526
dubcanada wrote: post #184

I can hardly wait to use Amazon App Store to install Amazon and then open up the Epic Game Store to install random game and then open up EA Game Store to install random game and then open up Facebook App Store to install Facebook and then open up the Apple App Store to install the Blizzard App Store to install Hearthstone and then go back to the Apple App Store and update the Blizzard App Store so I can get the lates…

It’s almost like console gaming would be easier, where if you want to buy a digital game, there is only one marketplace to use [1]. Oh wait. [1] yes, you can also buy physical games for most systems, but that’s in its way out too. If this plays out as expected, this complaint is going to have a lot of collateral damage.

There is a difference between a video game console and a portable multi purpose device with such a reach. Judges should take this into account. With great power comes great responsibility.

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

#537

Post by fbelzile »

ntsplnkv2 wrote: post #485
efdee wrote: post #437

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no choice being taken away - you don't have a choice at this point - you must use "the" App Store whether you like it or not. Maybe the Apple App Store can get it's shit together and present a less hostile environment so these companies are able/willing to distribute on the Apple App Store again, and then you'll actually have a choice.

You make that choice when you buy the phone. You are not buying an iPhone and the software separately. It is one product. The App Store is the product.

No, you buy the phone hardware and a license to use iOS. The App Store is a service provided by Apple that you should have a choice to use or not. The Apple Tax is what you're 'buying' from Apple when using the App Store service.

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

#538

Post by sergiotapia »

dubcanada wrote: post #184

I can hardly wait to use Amazon App Store to install Amazon and then open up the Epic Game Store to install random game and then open up EA Game Store to install random game and then open up Facebook App Store to install Facebook and then open up the Apple App Store to install the Blizzard App Store to install Hearthstone and then go back to the Apple App Store and update the Blizzard App Store so I can get the lates…

I categorically disagree. It's your choice to use one store on PC. Epic and a lot of people are asking for the choice. You don't have to make that choice since no one will force you.

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

#539

Post by outworlder »

SCHiM wrote: post #197
dubcanada wrote: post #184

I can hardly wait to use Amazon App Store to install Amazon and then open up the Epic Game Store to install random game and then open up EA Game Store to install random game and then open up Facebook App Store to install Facebook and then open up the Apple App Store to install the Blizzard App Store to install Hearthstone and then go back to the Apple App Store and update the Blizzard App Store so I can get the lates…

You install those yourself you know. I'd rather have a choice than not. I feel your pain in the sense that that I think user UX will take a hit, but I think that's less important than breaking the monopoly of the current app store. For example, I can't find apps with pornography or other types of things the high overlords at apple or Google have deemed inappropriate for me to have. That's bad. Apparently apps like Ma…

> I'd rather have a choice than not.

You don't have a choice with many of them. Some publishers force you to use a particular store.

It's not only about which app gets installed. It's also who is tracking what you own. If tomorrow EA decides that the store should be gone, what happens to all the money you spent on their store? Of course, a similar argument could be made for Apple's own store, but they have more incentives to keep that up.

If purchased assets would be treated like phone numbers that you can port to another carrier, then that would be great. Steam supports that (obviously just to 'import' games, not to 'export').

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