Or maybe there’s not a huge mass of the public looking to install third-party app stores. Doesn’t matter how many “scare screens” Apple tosses up.
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Epic: Apple's Updated App Marketplace Install Process Proves 'Scare Screens' Deterred Users
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Exactly this. A lot of people out there aren't tech savvy and would have zero idea the risks involved. Tim Sweeny is just a greedy, petty pig at this point. If he hates App Store fees so much why does his store charge one?
Even if I agree that it would be more competitive to allow app installs on iOS like in macOS/Windows/Linux, I have little sympathy for Epic.
Epic makes most of its money from Fortnite. There's nothing wrong with being a gaming company. Fortnite is fun (I don't play it for various reasons). However, Fortnite is a predatory game/app because it uses artificial scarcity (rotating shops, limited skins), manipulative microtransactions (V-Bucks bundles that push overspending), and addictive reward feedback loops. While advertised as “cosmetic,” skins carry social status, making them de facto paywalls. Epic has even been fined for tricking players into unwanted purchases. This is all targeted primarily to children. While parents 'should' be responsible (my children don't play Fortnite), Fornite is still based on a predatory business model.
Also, it was always rich for Epic to complain about Apple's high services margins when Fornite (most of Epic's revenue) easily is in the 70-80% range (maybe even 90% on Windows through the Epic Store).
Epic makes most of its money from Fortnite. There's nothing wrong with being a gaming company. Fortnite is fun (I don't play it for various reasons). However, Fortnite is a predatory game/app because it uses artificial scarcity (rotating shops, limited skins), manipulative microtransactions (V-Bucks bundles that push overspending), and addictive reward feedback loops. While advertised as “cosmetic,” skins carry social status, making them de facto paywalls. Epic has even been fined for tricking players into unwanted purchases. This is all targeted primarily to children. While parents 'should' be responsible (my children don't play Fortnite), Fornite is still based on a predatory business model.
Also, it was always rich for Epic to complain about Apple's high services margins when Fornite (most of Epic's revenue) easily is in the 70-80% range (maybe even 90% on Windows through the Epic Store).
Epic have also seen massive dropoffs in players on their core games. Even with 250k dailies, Fortnite is a comparitive ghost town to 2 years ago. Epic seem to like blaming everyone but themselves/.
Are you trying to say that a phone warranty should be voided if the customer has been scammed through an installed app?
Also, warranty and software modifications are regulated, they can’t just void your warranty if you for example jailbreak your iPhone.
The dumb stunt to take yourself off the App Store for years while burning through tons of cash on legal fees was a gamble that didn’t pay off and should cost Sweeney his job.
Nonsense. If it doesn't physically damage the phone, the warranty should stay in place. Epic's App Store doesn't cause a battery to swell, or a screen to fail.
It's no different than the US warranty rules on vehicles which is as long your repairs or aftermarket changes didn't damage the vehicle, the warranty stays 100% in tact.
This is blatantly untrue. If developers are creating free not-for-profit apps with zero monetization within the app, they don’t have to pay Apple anything. Apple has non-profit developer programs for this kind of thing… And I use many iPadOS utilities all the time from the App Store that don’t include adds and are free to use…
sooo like…zero acknowledgment on Epic’s part that the world is a dark place full of scammers and a WILD majority of folks don’t know how to differentiate what’s real from what isn’t bc tech literacy is a fickle thing. especially getting into older demos. I care more that the older iPhone users in my family don’t accidentally lose everything they have than I do about them having f**king Fortnite on their phones. sorry Epic. I realize it’s not great for your bottom line but your whole ethos isn’t great for the bottom line of anyone above the age of 60 who sees a fake PayPal email and feels genuine panic
I'm unsure where the convenience comes into it, but Apple can control their turf so they know the scope of their own security et al.. Businesses are for-profit, so money is a key consideration. I'm not familiar with anyone who goes to work with no expectation of remuneration. If a business ran like that they wouldn't for long.
I wonder why they still pursue mobile given the single digit percentage it adds to profit margins. 60% of their Fortnite income was at its height from the PlayStation 4 alone. Why not sue Sony?
It's also protecting them legally when someone decides to blame Apple they got hacked. I'm sure Apple's overpaid lawyers are waiting to cash in on those claims!
It works both ways though. Apple needs to admit this can occur in any app store, whether they handle it or not. Apple has been guilty numerous times of allowing apps taht anyone with a single braincell would know is nefarious.
We can go a little deeper than that in analysing businesses though, even without any college degree about it, don't you think?
What would come out is that Apple is exploiting its dominant position with anti-competitive practices and that it's bad for consumers.
Even if Apple gave them the keys to the kingdom, Epic would still complain.
It may be bad for a small subset of large developers who want to freeload off of Apple's hard work, but it's a net positive for consumers that there is an option on the market that is safe, secure, and focused on user privacy. For those who want to risk it, Android exists and is open.
This is objectively true.
Apple staff themselves would admit to this as it’s the entire point of the “scare screen” and why it’s called that.
At least Spotify is a decent company. Can't say the same about Epic Games.
Despite how much time Epic has invested in these lawsuits, they've made little progress in their own store that even developers using Unreal Engine have not bothered releasing to it on PC at least.
Absolutely. Because it crystallizes some issues that could possibly be true.
"Scare screens" are necessary. Sorry Tim. Not everyone knows what they are clicking or tapping into every time a prompt tells them to do so. It's transparency and awareness. Deal with it.