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Apple terminates Epic Games developer account, calling it a 'threat' to iOS

techcrunch.com

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Re: Apple terminates Epic Games developer account, calling it a 'threat' to iOS

#391

Post by iraqmtpizza »

swman wrote: post #358
layer8 wrote: post #334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue is that Epic doesn’t want to be Apple’s customer in the first place. They want to publish iOS apps. The fact that this requires them to be an Apple customer is the core problem. Imagine if everyone wanting to publish a web app would have to be a customer of the respective browser vendors. Everyone complains about Google and Mozilla and Safari and Edge. Luckily, that doesn’t prevent us from having our web ap…

Then they should just not publish for iOS lol. Don’t like it? Don’t publish to it. As a consumer I want and like the tight restrictions apple puts on the App Store. It’s not like users can’t purchase stuff without paying the 30% premium added by developers to offset the apple tax. Just go to the website and buy there. And save the 30%. My parents who are older use iPhone. They don’t have to wade through trash like an…

They never said they didn't like iOS. You're hallucinating.

Re: Apple terminates Epic Games developer account, calling it a 'threat' to iOS

#392

Post by threeseed »

codingcodingboy wrote: post #349
lozenge wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You still need a developer account to notarise apps that are published on alternative app stores. Plus you need to agree to pay Apple the Core Technology Fee.

Why didn't the EU force the removal of those requirements? Apple will keep playing games to make alternative stores uncompetitive and keep away unwanted developers.

Because it's still Apple's platform.

And they have a right to prevent apps that harm the integrity of the overall platform which is what notarisation is designed to prevent.

Also companies have always charged a fee for using their SDKs. Even today Epic does this i.e. 12%.

Re: Apple terminates Epic Games developer account, calling it a 'threat' to iOS

#393

Post by Phrodo_00 »

lelandfe wrote: post #355
layer8 wrote: post #334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue is that Epic doesn’t want to be Apple’s customer in the first place. They want to publish iOS apps. The fact that this requires them to be an Apple customer is the core problem. Imagine if everyone wanting to publish a web app would have to be a customer of the respective browser vendors. Everyone complains about Google and Mozilla and Safari and Edge. Luckily, that doesn’t prevent us from having our web ap…

Publishing a Chrome browser extension more-or-less requires being a customer of the Chrome Web Store. There are plenty of other examples, folks tend to give Playstation/Xbox/Switch stores in these conversations as well.

> Publishing a Chrome browser extension more-or-less requires being a customer of the Chrome Web Store

Emphasis on more-or-less, though. You can use Chrome developer mode (which is NOT a paid option and doesn't require an account) to import extensions from files. You can't do that in iOS. That's Epic's point.

Re: Apple terminates Epic Games developer account, calling it a 'threat' to iOS

#394

Post by davely »

casperb wrote: post #372

I just finished the last episode of The Talk Show podcast, where John Gruber says that Apple doesn’t hold a grudge and is only doing things because they make business sense. He said that because Apple approved Epic’s account and that they would be allowed their own App Store. I already that it was a bad take, but this shows it.

I find that Gruber occasionally has some interesting insight but it’s often hard to take him seriously these days — he’s effectively an unofficial PR outlet for Apple.

(Fun fact: he co-created Markdown with Aaron Swartz)

Edit: Swartz not Schwartz

Re: Apple terminates Epic Games developer account, calling it a 'threat' to iOS

#395

Post by DHPersonal »

casperb wrote: post #372

I just finished the last episode of The Talk Show podcast, where John Gruber says that Apple doesn’t hold a grudge and is only doing things because they make business sense. He said that because Apple approved Epic’s account and that they would be allowed their own App Store. I already that it was a bad take, but this shows it.

John Gruber @gruber@mastodon.social ‪@stroughtonsmith @macrumors So much for my theory that Apple was making nice with Epic.‬ https://mastodon.social/@gruber/112050165133240095

Re: Apple terminates Epic Games developer account, calling it a 'threat' to iOS

#396

Post by [deleted] »

beeboobaa wrote: post #354
hizanberg wrote: post #18

If I had a Customer that spent years relentlessly complaining about my Company, I know I wouldn't want to have them as a Customer. It does present an interesting question on whether a Company can be forced to have a bad actor as a Customer, I guess this will be decided in the lawsuits to come.

Then you shouldn't position yourself as a gatekeeper. I also don't want to pay taxes, but have to comply with the law anyway.

[deleted]

Re: Apple terminates Epic Games developer account, calling it a 'threat' to iOS

#397

Post by jsnell »

scarface_74 wrote: post #377
realusername wrote: post #366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple has nothing on their side aside from a few tweets criticizing them, that just won't cut it as an exemption to the DMA. It's not like Epic released malware or anything. Remember that the whole goal of the DMA is that actors like Apple and Google can't decide to block competiton on a whim, the exact thing they are doing right now.

According to the article, they have the official court ruling…

They don't have a court ruling on this that has any relevance in Europe.

Re: Apple terminates Epic Games developer account, calling it a 'threat' to iOS

#398

Post by api »

015a wrote: post #378

This is egregious and deeply disturbing behavior from Apple. At this point it feels wrong to own an iPhone. I'm at a loss for words describing what Tim and their leadership team has done to this company that I used to admire so much.

They're addicted to bad revenue here.

Once they started with the App Store revenue and especially taking a cut on all transactions, they were locked in. It's a public company so number must always go up. If number doesn't go up, executives are gone and replaced with people who will make number go up. That means it's impossible for them to back out of the App Store revenue channel. They'll have to be forced out by government action, in which case they can write it off as unavoidable and appease the shareholders and maybe not be replaced.

The basic principle here is that when a company takes on a revenue stream, it becomes addicted to it and it's incredibly difficult to give that revenue stream up even if it's destructive to other aspects of the company or brand. This is very closely related to the innovators' dilemma. In fact that might be seen a special case of the same failure mode.

If Apple ever goes really into advertising, that'll really be the end of them as a good brand. Advertising revenue destroys everything it touches. It's possible that they could recover from this debacle but a pivot into ads is the end.

Re: Apple terminates Epic Games developer account, calling it a 'threat' to iOS

#399

Post by geodel »

FirmwareBurner wrote: post #141
izacus wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having worked for many bosses, never ever never undersestimate the power of ego of an executive. It's only second to the ego of a lawyer. Many of them will tank their company and their client if they get their ego bruised and feel publicly humiliated. Those are hyper competitive people which see live as zero sum game and are trained in life to never, ever, lose a challenge or competition for domination. ESPECIALLY in…

What if, and hear me out, execs could go to jail instead of just their company paying fines as if they're parking tickets? Would they still be as cocky?

Seems current laws look civilized/weak for your taste.

I think you'd rather prefer Sunday gala of past where convict would be covered with oil soaked rags and then set on fire. So while that person ran crying, howling it provided tons of entertainment to hardworking folks gathered there. And in that process of course justice prevailed.

This is what one call win-win proposition.

Re: Apple terminates Epic Games developer account, calling it a 'threat' to iOS

#400

Post by Invictus0 »

threeseed wrote: post #383
layer8 wrote: post #334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue is that Epic doesn’t want to be Apple’s customer in the first place. They want to publish iOS apps. The fact that this requires them to be an Apple customer is the core problem. Imagine if everyone wanting to publish a web app would have to be a customer of the respective browser vendors. Everyone complains about Google and Mozilla and Safari and Edge. Luckily, that doesn’t prevent us from having our web ap…

You are in many respects a customer of the browser vendors. They can choose at any point to harm your business e.g. Apple restricting first party cookies.

They're not a monopoly though. Apple can disable safari's video playback capabilities, but somehow I doubt that would kill YouTube's business.
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