Fortnite Returns to U.S. App Store

[User 6502]

Yay! Epic makes more money and Apple makes up for the loss of services revenue by increasing hardware prices for all of us. What a win for consumers!

Not how pricing works. Apple charges and will always charge as much as they can get away with without losing too many sales. If they could increase hardware prices further they would have done it already, it’s not like were giving hardware discounts because they could bully developers into paying 30% of their sales.

 

[germanbeer007]

Not all for free, actually.

Distribution in Apple's App Store costs US$99/year. If Apple deems that insufficient to cover the costs of running the App Store, they should increase their rate.

It won't be a flat rate for all. Big dev companies submit an update every week per app. Vs a solo developer who only submits one app every few months. It doesn't make sense to increase cost of small app developers to cover the costs of big developers. Instead Apple would have to create a more accurate cost structure. But a cost structure complexity can reduce app store development interest.

EX table:
$99/year for development tools and code signing
$14 per app submission review. $7 dollar refund if the app is rejected.
- $3/mo for USA hosting
- $3/mo for China hosting
- $3/mo for EU hosting
- $1/mo for all other countries
$0.03 per GB transferred

This will substantially reduce amount of free apps available on the app store as very little solo developers would pay up front to offer a free apps. This hurts the consumer.

So no, that suggestion is terrible.

 

[Stuwil]

Love how haters don't understand that most coke vending machines only sell coke drinks and pepsi vending machines only sell pepsi drinks.

By their dumb logic, coke must be allowed to sell their drinks in pepsi machines! Otherwise it's a MONOPOLY 🙄

That’s not the exact same thing
In terms of the coke industry

 

[germanbeer007]

Two decades too long.

Weird how we're not asking Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo to reduce their 30% since the 90's.

 

[svish]

Good to know about the availability of the game. Waiting to hear about the appeal made by Apple.

 

[germanbeer007]

Like you said, "having access to billions of customers". Name me any other situation outside of app stores where you have to pay 30% - even on things like subscription fees that you use to run your own business - to access users of a platform with that level of popularity.

youtube takes 30% of subscriptions from content creators.
twitch takes 50%.

The 30% model was Apple's own invention

video game platform owners have taken 30% well before Apple built the app store. they still to this day take 30%. Apple didn't invent this.

 

[germanbeer007]

That’s not the exact same thing
In terms of the coke industry

It's the same thing. Coke owns a platform (vending machines that venues buy, drink dispensers that restaurants buy) that sells its approved drinks

Apple owns a platform (iPhones that people buy) that sells its approved apps.

 

[Stuwil]

It's the same thing. Coke owns a platform (vending machines that venues buy, drink dispensers that restaurants buy) that sells its approved drinks

Apple owns a platform (iPhones that people buy) that sells its approved apps.

Owning an App Store is not the same as a
Coca Cola vending machine
Because if it was then epic wouldn’t be back on the USA iOS App Store

 

[Maven1975]

Smart move... pushing it further could result in a sideloading ruling in the US. Lets see if Apple is willing to roll those bones....

 

[Stuwil]

Smart move... pushing it further could result in a sideloading ruling in the US. Lets see if Apple is willing to roll those bones....

Exactly as I said no good would come of apple not allowing epic back on the USA ios app store
Because other things would get brought into focus

 

[GregJohn]

*Not available in Canada*

lol interesting launch choice

 

[Stuwil]

Lol. So the consequence of breaking their TOS is...letting them back on the platform. Literally makes no sense. I know Apple mad cause I would be too!

And the reason why epic are back on is this
If they didn’t put epic back on the USA iOS App Store then apple would have been accused of deliberately keeping them off and that would send a message to every developer that you don’t challenge apple

 

[atoqir]

Love how haters don't understand that most coke vending machines only sell coke drinks and pepsi vending machines only sell pepsi drinks.

By their dumb logic, coke must be allowed to sell their drinks in pepsi machines! Otherwise it's a MONOPOLY 🙄

This is a wrong comparison.

The right comparison would be that coca cola company prevents and prohibits other brand vending machines everywhere in the world so you are forced to only use their vending machines if you want a drink.

With the new (and very smart ruling) people can choose their vending machine and their preferred drink and price.

But it doesn't matter now. Apple pissed of judges in the EU, UK and US already hard enough and they can only make it worse for themselves by non compliance. It also doesn't matter because the cat is out of the bag. Developers will have all the data they need with the new system to e-mail their customers directly with their own payment system if Apple can revert this ruling someday (which I doubt will happen) and Apple can't track or monetize this anymore because Apple has been cut out as middle man and companies have direct access to consumer since the anti-steering rule was deemed illegal.

Besides for people wanting to only use apple their system, nothing changes. You can keep using this system, even in Fortnite. You just pay more because they offload the extra Apple fee to the customer. More developers will start doing this probably. Loyal die hard apple fans won't mind paying more.

 

[Jhyrachy]

If only apple allowed TRUE sideloading like android (no notarization) a lot of problems would not even exist.

There is no security reason to keek thing as they are, only apple greed.

 

[The Phazer]

Love how haters don't understand that most coke vending machines only sell coke drinks and pepsi vending machines only sell pepsi drinks.

By their dumb logic, coke must be allowed to sell their drinks in pepsi machines! Otherwise it's a MONOPOLY 🙄

You are aware that Coke literally lost an antitrust suit over this *twenty years ago* yes?

https://ec.europa.eu/competition/antitrust/cases/dec_docs/39116/39116_258_4.pdf

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Should I be embarrassed to admit that I play Fortnite as an adult? 😲

No. Now you can game on your iPhone Reason077

 

[tylerthomas28]

I'm glad the courts and consumers have won again. **** around and find out. I knew this would happen, and I applaud Epic for standing their ground. Now we get the game back without Apple’s 30% cut. This is a big win for developers and consumers. Apple’s grip is finally slipping.

 

[bondr006]

As much as I like Apple's products, I am not as fond of their business practices....especially under Tim Apple's bean counter leadership where the almighty $$$ is most important over all else. I really loved Apple when Steve was still here(RIP). The consumer/user of Apple products and innovation were most important over all else. It was Steve Jobs that brought Apple back from the brink of extinction in 1997, and Tim Apple riding the coattails of a brilliant visionary that has kept it going as long as it has. Well, the coattail/roadmap has been greedily used up with no more brilliance, creativity, or vision to resupply the roadmap's fuel tank....Just a beancounter who can't see past his nose and Apple's wallet for the life of him.

I hope Epic sues the pants off Apple for loss of revenue and legal fees. I hope consumers are able to join in for loss of ability to play Fortnite on their preferred platform.

 

[germanbeer007]

Owning an App Store is not the same as a
Coca Cola vending machine
Because if it was then epic wouldn’t be back on the USA iOS App Store

this doesn't make sense.

a company owns a distribution method and can dictate the distribution rules. if another company doesn't like that distribution method, they should not use that distribution method

 

[germanbeer007]

This is a wrong comparison.

The right comparison would be that coca cola company prevents and prohibits other brand vending machines everywhere in the world so you are forced to only use their vending machines if you want a drink.

iOS vending machines have no control over Android vending machines. Tim Sweeney can build his own Epic vending machines but he choose not to but instead to force his drink into iOS vending machines.

 

[bondr006]

iOS vending machines have no control over Android vending machines. Tim Sweeney can build his own Epic vending machines but he choose not to but instead to force his drink into iOS vending machines.

That may be, but the consumers overwhelmingly want the "Epic drink" in the "iOS vending machine", and Tim Apple apparently doesn't give a rats a** about what the consumer wants.

 

[germanbeer007]

You are aware that Coke literally lost an antitrust suit over this *twenty years ago* yes?

https://ec.europa.eu/competition/antitrust/cases/dec_docs/39116/39116_258_4.pdf

did you even read your own pdf?

coke was reserving shelf space to prevent competitors from putting their drinks next to it

this would be like apple reserving space to prevent android phones from being next to iPhones. not the same comparison

coke was also making agreements with customers to prevent competing vending machines to be next to each other. that's like apple selling you an iPhone as long as you agree to not buy an android phone

sorry your argument didn't move the needle here

 

[Stuwil]

this doesn't make sense.

a company owns a distribution method and can dictate the distribution rules. if another company doesn't like that distribution method, they should not use that distribution method

Because Coca Cola the last I checked don’t sell none Coca Cola in their vending machines

 

[germanbeer007]

That may be, but the consumers overwhelmingly want the "Epic drink" in the "iOS vending machine", and Tim Apple apparently doesn't give a rats a** about what the consumer wants.

since were not showing data, i can also make the argument that consumers overwhelmingly want pepsi and coke to be in coke and pepsi machines too.

i'd love to buy mario kart on any gaming console i own

i'd love to stream severance from netflix

doesn't mean it should be the law that it has to happen

 

[WarmWinterHat]

did you even read your own pdf?

coke was reserving shelf space to prevent competitors from putting their drinks next to it

this would be like apple reserving space to prevent android phones from being next to iPhones. not the same comparison

coke was also making agreements with customers to prevent competing vending machines to be next to each other. that's like apple selling you an iPhone as long as you agree to not buy an android phone

sorry your argument didn't move the needle here

The vending machine argument only applies to Coca-Cola owned vending machines. If the business/consumer owns the machine (yes, you can buy them), then you can stock whatever you want inside, regardless of who made it or what logo is on the front panel. My college fraternity owned a Pepsi vending machine we kept in the lobby of our house, and kept beer (ha) in it accessible with an unmarked button.

Same goes for the iPhone. If Apple wants to gatekeep everything going on the device, then they should rent or lease the hardware, instead of selling.