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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

#531

Post by vlod »

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.

I use userscripts/violent-monkey for my stuff and I don't have to deal with any of them. I grant you, it's harder for people to use my stuff.

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

#532

Post by giantrobot »

causal wrote: post #373
zshrc wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But is anyone prohibited from going out and buying an Android? I see plenty of Samsung ads on TV. Does Apple stop you from downloading Signal and communicating with your Android friends that way? It's called "competitive advantage" in the US.

I find it frustrating when people think something can't be a trust just because one can imagine hoops a consumer could jump through to find an alternative. Switching from iPhone to Android is onerous, and most users are locked into multi-year payments contracts for the device they have. A healthy competitive environment should have 10+ options. The fact that two massive corporations have the entire space locked up is…

The previously existing competition should have competed rather than completely fucking up. Both Apple and Google started as complete underdogs in the phone market.

Many current Android manufacturers used to built phones running their own platforms or Windows Mobile. Symbian, Windows Mobile, PalmOS, and BlackBerry all died not because Apple or Google somehow hamstrung them but because they sucked compared to what Apple and Google were selling.

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

#533

Post by Zambyte »

paulmd wrote: post #504
Zambyte wrote: post #482

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't believe you so I looked it up, and this[0] is what I found > AltStore then signs the application with your Apple ID so the app can run. You'll need to trust the developer certificate in your device settings, but when you do, any apps that you install through AltStore will work... for seven days. Apple has put several restrictions in place to make the process as difficult as possible, but the developer manage…

[flagged]

If I can't install an app for more than a week, I can't install an app.

Also: since I don't have a Windows or Mac machine, I literally can't install an app.

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

#534

Post by whimsicalism »

threeseed wrote: post #376
jsnell wrote: post #307

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 12. The gatekeeper shall apply fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory general conditions of access for business users to its software application stores, online search engines and online social networking services listed in the designation decision pursuant to Article 3(9). Apple don't get to deny access to their main competitor in this space just as a show of force. That is not fair, reasonable or non-discrimina…

a) It is fair and non-discriminatory. Epic was found by the courts to have violated the terms of the agreement that they signed and Apple had the right to terminate it. They have done this with other developers as well. b) Epic is not their main competitor in anything.

"it happened via operation of private contract so it is thus presumptively fair and non-discriminatory" is not how the DMA works, at all.

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

#535

Post by whimsicalism »

sandoze wrote: post #527
diebeforei485 wrote: post #512

This will not fly in the EU. I am actually very annoyed about their behavior. My next phone will likely not be an iPhone. All the paid apps are subscription based now anyway, it's quite easy to switch.

Yikes, you might be disappointed: https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/google-asks-judg... I hear Huawei makes nice phones.

android can sideload

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

#536

Post by alt227 »

m4rtink wrote: post #478
beezle wrote: post #408

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A better analogy might be if a tire company could only sell its tires through the Ford/GM "store"/dealership. Nobody would put up with that.

Yet people put up with hardware lock-in on printer toner and cartridges (which is also very wrong).

Not willingly.

Theres plenty of uproar and lawsuits around that one too.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/01/hp-sued-again-for-bl...

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

#537

Post by batrat »

sandoze wrote: post #527
diebeforei485 wrote: post #512

This will not fly in the EU. I am actually very annoyed about their behavior. My next phone will likely not be an iPhone. All the paid apps are subscription based now anyway, it's quite easy to switch.

Yikes, you might be disappointed: https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/google-asks-judg... I hear Huawei makes nice phones.

You can install any store (ex: fdroid, aurora, etc) on Android already.

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

#538

Post by charcircuit »

cheeze wrote: post #459
charcircuit wrote: post #56

Apple should avoid destroying developer trust as developers aren't forced to write ios apps. Apple needs developers.

Developers aren't forced to write any apps. They write apps where the revenue makes sense. And the revenue makes the most sense on ios for a large share of developers. 95%+ of developers don't care if Apple doesn't allow Epic on their store. That's just reality. If my boss tells me "we're launching an ios app" I'm not going to tell him about how I disagree with Apples principles and refuse to build it.

They care about their own accounts being deleted over some disagreement. The risk of having your account banned changes how you invest in the platform.

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

#539

Post by MR4D »

screamingninja wrote: post #402
MR4D wrote: post #97

Maybe Epic should just come out with their own Android-based phone and ignore Apple. EDIT - I don’t mean this flippantly. I really think a gaming phone made by Epic would be fantastic. They have some great games that I enjoy, including Rocket League and Fortnite. Would love to see what they could do with a phone, especially how well they did on GM’s Hummer ( https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/7/21506572/epic-games-unre…

Something like Steam Deck? https://www.steamdeck.com/

No. A phone.

EDITED to add for context:

Here's my deal - we're locked into 2 basic choices. The choices are fine, but it's like a Ford vs Chevy thing - boring.

I really want someone else to com into the market and make a phone feel special. Like when Air Jordan's first came out. Nobody thought about a shoe as being special before that.

Red had a phone, but didn't execute as well as I would have expected. Image what a phone would be like from Epic - fantastic UI, great feel in your hand. Like Fortnite? cool, they have one that looks like it came right out of the game. Like Rocket League? Cool - they have one for that too.

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

#540

Post by whimsicalism »

Apocryphon wrote: post #280
mrtksn wrote: post #45

I wonder why Apple doesn't open up their platforms to have everything best on their devices instead of fighting and agonising developers and governments. Yes yes, the commission is nice but they might be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. I mean, Apple is amazingly good in some areas but in some other areas their products are used only because they don't give a choice and they intent to keep it this way. Th…

I've argued before that Apple should've semi-opened up iOS in a way that they could manage it to their interests. Now they've forced the hand of regulators to do it instead. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32170848

it didnt work for google, who is also in the sights of regulators despite having a considerbly more semi-open OS
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