Epic Games Wins Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google Play Store

[Abazigal]

But for google to be found to be a monopoly when it offers the ability to install alternative app stores while Apple does not and Apple has been found to not be a monopoly is an inconsistent result. The law has not been applied equally to both parties.

I still think it comes down to iOS and android being 2 fundamentally very different products.

With the iPhone, Apple managed to demonstrate during the court case that the App Store was in fact a key selling point of the iPhone. Customers buy the iPhone knowingly fully well that they have to purchase apps through the App Store, and in many cases, expressly preferred it that way. For them, the restrictions of the iOS App Store was a key selling point, not a drawback.

However, with Google, the problem was that customers were not buying phones from Google, but from other smartphone OEMs like Samsung. On one hand, you had Google claim that android was more open, and yet on the other hand, Google was effectively bribing developers to not bring their app stores to android, which goes against the very premise of their platform. So you can argue that customers were not getting what they paid for. They expected more choice in the form of say, more app stores, which never really happened because Google was working behind the scenes to keep it that way.

So the difference here was that Apple had been clear about their lock-in right from the start, while Google was sneakily trying to change the terms of the deal to limit competition. And especially under US antitrust law, because Apple was offering an integrated product that it fully controlled and that customers were fully aware of the implications, Apple was therefore free to set the price of entry however it chooses.

This means that yes, Apple is perfectly justified by law to charge developers 50% or even 70% if they do desire.

So the lawsuit is not about whether the companies are monopolies to not, but whether there was any misrepresentation to the customers.

 

[Tito360]

2025...Apple acquires Spotify.
Poetic justic lol

Amazon buys Apple for a whopping 132 billion

 

[AndiG]

This could an interesting year - and a bad one for Apple and Google ....

 

[Ael_MR]

the end is at hand my friend.. the sun is setting on your walled garden.

/shrug And those who participate in using said stores will not see a penny difference in prices.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Epic should have avoided using app store IAP altogether and just had people buy VBucks with gift cards or from their website.

Is it more hassle? Sure.

But if people wanted VBucks that bad (and they do considering Epic makes BILLIONS selling VBucks) then people would figure it out.

 

[Abazigal]

the end is at hand my friend.. the sun is setting on your walled garden.

I said it before, and I will say it again. You all bet against Apple to your own detriment. 😈

 

[windowsblowsass]

You don’t think there’s a risk now that The justices will see this jury decision re: google and possibly overturn the lower courts? If google is a monopoly over its App Store then certainly Apple is one as well.

Or perhaps a higher court will overturn the decision vs google.

But for google to be found to be a monopoly when it offers the ability to install alternative app stores while Apple does not allow alternative app stores (yet) and Apple has been found to not be a monopoly is an inconsistent result. The law has not been applied equally to both companies.

No I don’t because this is the Supreme Court, the are actually never going to hear this case because there’s no constitutional issue with the rulings of the lower courts and no egregious issues with the rulings. They will say the Lower courts rulings stand and refuse Epics (are we still pretending they aren’t just tencent) petition.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Google will just win this on appeal anyway

 

[scorpio vega]

Amazon buys Apple for a whopping 132 billion

I assume this was satire

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

the end is at hand my friend.. the sun is setting on your walled garden.

And not a moment too soon. Soon it won't have to worry about region locked apps anymore and we can get so many fun new apps for iOS, like retro game emulators or Xbox Game Pass for Cloud.

 

[webkit]

It sounds like Android isn't quite as "open" as I thought if Google is actually paying Android app developers and device manufacturers that use Android to NOT use their own stores/distribution or allow alternative app stores on Android. This is reminiscent of 1990s allegations that Microsoft gave computer makers a discount on Windows if they didn’t pre-install Netscape Navigator.

However, Apple is still more restrictive with iOS and iPadOS when it comes to sideloading and alternative app stores.

 

[Tito360]

I assume this was satire

Of course would had been posted already by the basement dwellers

 

[cocky jeremy]

Apple is next

They already got smashed in the face by Apple.

 

[4743913]

/shrug And those who participate in using said stores will not see a penny difference in prices.

I would pay even more to bust up apple's gatekeeping goblins

 

[4743913]

They already got smashed in the face by Apple.

EU has entered the chat...

 

[VulchR]

I am just thinking about how this relates to the EU attack on Apple's walled garden. Many of us argued that sideloading apps would result in a Balkanisation of app stores that would force consumers to use non-Apple stores, with a potential up-tick in security risks. Then there was a chorus saying 'Look at Google! The big important apps haven't left there.' Now we know why. Android is theoretically open, but in reality it isn't because it gives inducements (aka bribes) to companies to stay there. So we actually do not know for sure what will hpen if the EU presses on with forcing Apple to allow sideloading.

 

[JonathanX64]

Like why is Nintendo allowed to have only their own App Store on the Switch but Apple should allow other app stores on their iOS devices?

Business model of Nintendo is selling affordable gaming hardware at loss and recovering losses with this 30% cut. Sounds fair to me. And sounds fair enough for game publishers to not argue against it.

Business model of Apple is to scam you twice: first when you have to purchase overpriced uncompetitive device because your friends use iMessage, and then by taxing everything you do on an iPhone with 30%.

 

[Ethosik]

I am guessing part of the ruling is that Google is sort of bribing certain developers to keep their apps exclusively in the Playstore. Just like they demand their Google apps to be pre-installed on the Home Screen or not at all (if I am not mistaken)

Just like how Epic is doing this on the PC with the Epic Games Store? Epic is so shady. They do everything they complain about.

 

[Erwin-Br]

And this is why I enjoy closed/proprietary ecosytems. Because they are focused on bringing out and building a solid ecosystem and not just throwing any product out for the sake of saying they are the dominant player.

Closed ecosystems are not built with your benefit in mind, my friend. They're there to establish vendor lock-in and ensure maximum profit for the shareholders. Marketing teams have successfully made gullible consumers believe it's about you.

 

[JonathanX64]

I am just thinking about how this relates to the EU attack on Apple's walled garden. Many of us argued that sideloading apps would result in a Balkanisation of app stores that would force consumers to use non-Apple stores, with a potential up-tick in security risks. Then there was a chorus saying 'Look at Google! The big important apps haven't left there.' Now we know why. Android is theoretically open, but in reality it isn't because it gives inducements (aka bribes) to companies to stay there. So we actually do not know for sure what will hpen if the EU presses on with forcing Apple to allow sideloading.

The only thing we know for sure is that Apple tax and Google tax are draconian.

Apple forced publishers into the App Store by crippling iOS, and Google coerced publishers into Google Play by bribing them. Nobody in their right minds would use these two if there were some competition.

Thankfully, competition is coming, and very soon.

 

[mrat93]

Epic is a bunch of whiners. Apple and Google deserve their success. Maybe Epic should try building their own phone platform

Do you actually believe what you’re saying?

 

[Bodhitree]

Simple, just make a law that any App Store is not allowed to collect more than 10%. Should be plenty to cover infrastructure costs and moderation.

 

[Ethosik]

Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft should be next.

I'm pretty sure those platforms collect 30% of every purchase regardless of whether you buy stuff at GameStop, Walmart, or from the online platform stores.

If Apple and Google are prohibited from collecting "unduly high fees" then other platforms should be prohibited too, right?

This should be interesting...

😋

Sony is getting sued. Whether it goes anywhere or not I’m not sure. I am not a fan of where we are headed.

 

[BaldiMac]

It sounds like Android isn't quite as "open" as I thought if Google is actually paying Android app developers and device manufacturers that use Android to NOT use their own stores/distribution or allow alternative app stores on Android. This is reminiscent of 1990s allegations that Microsoft gave computer makers a discount on Windows if they didn’t pre-install Netscape Navigator.

Weird how the Apple and Google cases vs Epic both played out exactly in line with my arguments.

 

[windowsblowsass]

Simple, just make a law that any App Store is not allowed to collect more than 10%. Should be plenty to cover infrastructure costs and moderation.

Pass a sweeping law on the federal level that will piss off the largest companies in America and on earth, has limited public support, and will cause numerous second order problems because it isn’t properly thought through and overly broad. Yeah that’s very simple