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Google must open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge

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Re: Google must open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge

#71

Post by clhodapp »

jncfhnb wrote: post #40
gjsman-1000 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

> Apple's claim is simple: The monopoly was from the very beginning, when the iPhone had 0.0% market share. If it was anti-competitive, the iPhone would have failed. If developers didn't like it, the iPhone would have failed. Has Apple unfairly done anything new now that they have a monopoly? No. Did Apple raise their 30% royalty to 70% when they had a monopoly? No. The problem is not a monopoly on hardware. The prob…

The logical consequence of this argument is that there is no such thing as a business practice which is illegal for a monopoly, but which is legal for a startup. As long as you start doing it when you're small, it must be OK.

I don't think that holds water. The standards should definitely get higher as you gain more market share.

Re: Google must open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge

#73

Post by n_plus_1_acc »

tencentshill wrote: post #21

Soon we'll have the Verizon Appstore and the Spotify Appstore and the Zoom Appstore, the exclusive home for each app and their partners, each with it's own overlapping user tracking libraries and insecure payment methods, and no one can even tell them to do otherwise. Coming soon to iOS, too!

Points at the netflix app, through which you can install bloons Tower defense

Re: Google must open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge

#74

Post by placeholderTest »

meiraleal wrote: post #56
gjsman-1000 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True; except that the iPhone didn't allow apps from anywhere, at all. Consider damages, from a legal perspective. Can you claim damages, because you can't write apps for your proprietary 3D Printer? Can you claim damages, because you can't write apps for your dishwasher? Can you claim damages, because you can't write apps for an ecosystem which is, and was, always closed? No, no, and (currently) no. You absolutely ca…

As someone mentioned, the app store started without a 30% cut so they also baited and switched. The only difference is that Apple won the case because Justice works like that. Different judges and it would have lost too.

Except the App Store was announced 16 years ago and the 30% cut was definitely part of the announcement. There’s a whole slide with Steve Jobs discussing it 3 minutes in. The other commenter was mistaken.

Re: Google must open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge

#75

Post by hu3 »

bsimpson wrote: post #38
ethbr1 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All I care about is having some healthy competition in the marketplace again. If that takes tying Google's hands behind its back for a few years, fine. Taking a 30% cut should have been, prima facie, evidence of monopoly abuse.

As I recall, the original App Store argument was "It would cost a lot more than 30% to mint CDs and sell them in Waldenbooks, so we're doing developers a favor by _only_ charging 30% to distribute."

How generous!

That's the kind of argument that only gets a pass if you have no other option as a user. Wink wink.

Re: Google must open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge

#76

Post by cyberax »

mike_d wrote: post #22

Epic's "First Run" program does all the things they got mad at Apple and Google about. You don't have to pay any license fees for Unreal Engine if you use Epic exclusively for payments. They give you 100% revshare for 6 months if you agree to not ship your game on any other app store. Let's not kid ourselves, Epic never cared about consumer choice or a fair playing field, they only want the ability to profit without…

I don't get it. Epic is offering a different pricing model that might or might not be more advantageous to developers

That is literally what competition should look like.

Re: Google must open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge

#77

Post by tuna74 »

jpc0 wrote: post #68
akira2501 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep. Then consumers can decide which one is best for them. Then they can compete. Then the best features with the best pricing, no only for customers, but the cut for developers, can be discovered. You pay such a high price for living in the walled garden. I honestly can't imagine why you would _want_ it.

Amazon Prime Video... Netflix... Disney Plus... The choices are great... Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum...

Yeah, and Crunchyroll, and Viki and a lot of other services most people probably don't know about.

Re: Google must open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge

#78

Post by jiggawatts »

xnx wrote: post #9
tmtvl wrote: post #6

Wait, so the Google Play Store, which you can install alternatives to (F-Droid, Aurora, Amazon,...), and where you can easily install apps through other means (such as downloading an APK through your browser and running it from the file manager) is an illegal monopoly while the Apple App Store isn't? Well, I guess Google's market cap is only 2 trillion compared to Apple's 3 trillion, so I guess that's fair.

It is ridiculous. From Google's reply ( https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/public-policy/epic-... ): "These Epic-requested changes stem from a decision that is completely contrary to another court’s rejection of similar claims Epic made against Apple — even though, unlike iOS, Android is an open platform that has always allowed for choice and flexibility like multiple app stores and sideloading."

Next, EBay should be allowed to use Amazon warehouses and their distribution network.

Re: Google must open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge

#79

Post by tencentshill »

ToucanLoucan wrote: post #27
whimsicalism wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

they still have to go through Apple review & still have to pay Apple a revenue cut, so it's basically been defanged

I mean, the review part I support. The revenue part is fucking horseshit.

What percentage do you think is fair to allow for a quality code review?

Re: Google must open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge

#80

Post by ribosometronome »

whimsicalism wrote: post #30
ToucanLoucan wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, the review part I support. The revenue part is fucking horseshit.

I think it should all be circumventable. My phone, like my computer, should be able to install whatever code I damn well please.

The idea that we aren't allowed to sell limited purpose electronics seems pretty novel. A lot of the things I own have processors in them nowadays, are you suggesting the courts should require them all to create methodologies for us to run our own code on them?
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