Yeah since this started my kids aged out of it, I guess.
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Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney Teases Fortnite Returning to iOS in 2023 as Legal Battle Continues
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I guess 11-year-olds will care. For a month, until their parents see the credit card bills.
You're missing the point. People think side loading will have zero rules. Apple can allow side loading while still requiring apps to be signed by Apple. Same thing with license fees. Look towards consoles to see how things will work, not PCs.
Biggest selling games console of all time: Playstation 2 158 million sold, Playstation 4 115 million sold since 2013. iPhones sold annually 200- 300 million.
Consoles are irrelevant, the market is so small nobody is going to bother regulating it.
Not quite. Apple hosts free apps all the time (Fortnite was/is free). This would be the equivalent to a home builder building your home, then requiring you to only buy anything that goes inside your house to be done through them for ever. Need a new light bulb? Gotta go through the home builder.
Now let’s say that you need to replace a lightbulb. It’s stored and distributed by Home Depot. However, because it’s being bought for your house that was built by this builder, you cannot use the point of sale at Home Depot which the processor takes a 2-3% cut of the transaction. They have to now pull out your home builders point of sale that takes a 30% cut of the transaction.
You see, Fortnite hosts the skins, matchmaking servers, etc. Just like Home Depot stores these light bulbs. But Apple still wants a 30% cut of everything just for being a payment processor, and they won’t allow any other payment processor for any digital goods, even though it doesn’t actually host those digital goods.
Then to top it off, they make you believe that it’s to recoup the costs of hosting your app on their store, when in fact they forced you to host it on their store in the first place, giving you no other choices. Even if you already have a successful brand and app and don’t need their discovery/hosting/services/marketing to begin with.
For the 4 people that still play it
I hope those sideloading and alt App Store are ready for that 35-40% apple tax!
Apple gets its $$$ at the end.
Apple gets its $$$ at the end.
I’ll just say it:
If I were Epic, Blizzard, etc (and I can even make a case for the OpenEmu team), I would figure out how to get everything I can running on iOS right now. The market is likely coming and it never hurts to be prepared for this kind of moment.
Imagine how much higher the fines would have been if Sweeney had complete control. I think Apple probably saved him hundreds of millions in fines.
That would be great advice for some game companies to recognize, if the IOS 17 changes indeed happen.
I sure wouldn't be surprised if Apple tried - but this isn't going to fly with the EU.
"The gatekeeper shall not prevent business users from offering the same products or services to end users through third-party online intermediation services or through their own direct online sales channel at prices or conditions that are different from those offered through the online intermediation services of the gatekeeper."
👉 27% commission sales not through Apple effectively make it practically unfeasible to offer the product at more favourable conditions than through the App Store. Apple would be in violation of the act.
"The gatekeeper shall not require business users or end users to subscribe to, or register with, any further core platform services listed in the designation decision pursuant to Article 3(9) or which meet the thresholds in Article 3(2), point (b), as a condition for being able to use, access, sign up for or registering with any of that gatekeeper’s core platform services listed pursuant to that Article."
👉 Remember that both App Stores ("online intermediation services") and Operating Systems are "core platform services". What it says is basically: "If you want to offer apps for an operating system covered, Apple can't require you to register or use their App Store.
It's not poorly worded for the EU - since its anti-circumvention provisions give the EU quite some leeway:
"The gatekeeper shall not engage in any behaviour that undermines effective compliance with the obligations of Articles 5, 6 and 7 regardless of whether that behaviour is of a contractual, commercial or technical nature, or of any other nature, or consists in the use of behavioural techniques or interface design."
👉 Charging 27% on apps sold independently by third parties is underminding effective compliance with the legislation and its stated goal of ensuring pricing is competitive, fair and markets are contestable.
I'm not saying Apple can't or won't find other ways of monetising access to their ecosystem - but it won't be charging a "screw you, EU!" 27% commission on third-party sales.
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Mac has been open to everything since the start of the pc. Mobile hasn’t. I’m absolutely certain that apple will get its cut. Either thru companies paying the apple tax, or excluding companies from being allowed into the developer program.
There’s no law that states apple has to give its software developer tools away to everyone.
Alternative IDEs for development of iOS apps do exist today. And...
"The gatekeeper shall allow and technically enable the installation and effective use of third-party software applications or software application stores using, or interoperating with, its operating system and allow those software applications or software application stores to be accessed by means other than the relevant core platform services of that gatekeeper"
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Yes, there is.
The Digital Markets Act: ensuring fair and open digital markets
Discover how the Digital Markets Act ensures large online platforms in the EU behave fairly, and allows new players to enter the market, thus developing a fast evolving digital sector.
They have to comply with the laws in the regions that they trade.
Some of their app store policies are dictating how others run their business and the wording they include in their own software.
Look, the same can be said for Epic Games' Fortnite product. At what point is this no longer Epic's product anymore? When Apple can dictate Epic how they're allowed to sell in-game content?
Apple can design and price their iPhones and operating systems as they want. There's very few restrictions placed on them. And let's not pretend that there has never been some legal requirements on hardware for environmental purposes.
But regarding the software, the preamble to the law answers that: Once a product has achieved a certain "gatekeeping" market power, it will be regulated. Once a certain amount of businesses and consumers depend on it and it enables its creator to single-handedly dictate market and access conditions, certain rules and restrictions will be put on their business conduct.
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I feel like most people have moved on. Three years ago everyone talked about Fortnight but now I hardly hear anyone talking about it.
How can Costco dictate what it sells in its store?
No tech company will ever allow itself to be a gatekeeper in the EU going forward. The rest of the world will benefit from the tech except the EU will be left with the crumbs.