You already admitted in a previous post that the policy of requiring app review didn't qualify as antitrust: "the practice of reviewing apps itself is not intrinsically harmful." That's your own quote. And I'm sure you know that MS has rules and policies to control what games are available on their own Xbox consoles. Can you name some gaming apps on the Xbox that aren't in compliance with Microsoft's rules?
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Microsoft's xCloud and Xbox Game Pass Not Coming to iOS Due to Apple's Restrictions [Updated]
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You already admitted in a previous post that the policy of requiring app review didn't qualify as antitrust: "the practice of reviewing apps itself is not intrinsically harmful." That's your own quote. And I'm sure you know that MS has rules and policies to control what games are available on their own Xbox consoles. Can you name some gaming apps on the Xbox that aren't in compliance with Microsoft's rules?
Apple's policy per app review is the polar opposite of arbitrary: they require it for every app. Microsoft is selling customers an entire library of gaming apps through the streaming app. Apple saying that those apps are violating the review policy is consistent, not arbitrary.
Steam link just allows you to stream from your own PC, right? But Shadow is a cloud game streaming service just like xCloud and Stadia. The difference? Shadow not being owned by Microsoft or Google would be my guess.
Edit: With Shadow, you are essentially renting an full-fledge Windows PC in the cloud. It isn't just streaming games, it seems.
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Still missing the point here buddy. Quoting my own words doesn’t help prove your point when you’re not even on the same point nor are you understanding what I’m saying.
Yes, I said the App Store review process in general is not bad. In fact, the argument can and should be made that it’s been an overall good for consumers service. It’s the INDIVIDUAL REVIEW POLICIES that are at issue here. Going back to your analogy of sports, rules can and sometimes do change as the sport grows and evolves.
I can’t believe I’m starting to come off as defending Microsoft here, but yes, they also have review policies in place for their online store. Again, I agree with what they mostly do for consumers. It’s no different than walking into your most trusted brick and mortar stores. If Microsoft started banning games because of a set of policies and then came out with similar games or services that just barely skirted their own policies that they set, they would get backlash too. Come to think of it, I don’t know if google tried to get Stadia into the Microsoft store, but if they did and were rejected, they would probably get a lot of backlash as well.
I also don’t agree with what kicked off this case in the first place with the commission rates. All stores physical or digital take a cut of what they sell. App Store is no different in that sense.
I’ve been defending Apple with most of these anti-trust issues that have been coming up because the complaints didn’t seem to measure up, but this one now has me questioning some of their policies. I’ve also pointed out in the past how Apple seems to exempt YouTube from a specific policy regarding blocking native features behind a paywall. Again, it’s the POLICIES at issue here, not the concept of an App Store review process.
That is an illogical defense. Going by your fear mongering response, then Apple should ban social media apps which allow users, like your grandma, to input their username, and other personal data... Oh and ads should be removed from Safari as a standard. Those ads are dangerous because your grandma may click on a malicious one and input her credit card info into it.
You've never provided a specific reason for why the app review requirement is different in the case of Microsoft's app. Is Microsoft selling functional use of an additional library of apps through their streaming app? Yes. What is your reasoning for why those apps are exempt from review? You can't argue that they aren't apps. You can't argue that Apple's policy doesn't require apps to be reviewed. You can't argue that Microsoft doesn't apply rules to apps sold on their own gaming consoles.
Correct me if I’m wrong but with xCloud the games aren’t installed on your device (like apps) and are just streamed via the app (like movies and tv shows). Apple’s distinction here is as tenuous as the “reader apps” guidelines.
Agreed. It is like those book purists who claim ebooks aren't books, or audiobooks don't count as reading even though you are consuming the same exact content.
Microsoft is selling access to a library of games. All of those games are apps. The access to the games is through the App Store. The App Store requires apps to be reviewed. Microsoft wouldn't submit the gaming apps for review, so the streaming app that provides access to the gaming apps won't be on the App Store.
I never understood the pre-installation argument being anti-consumer. Especially when the installed application is easily deletable. I can understand the argument when the company is not allowing you to delete the app off of your device, or worse, forces you to actually use it... but free app pre-installed and deletable is not exactly something that will make me consider the company anti-consumer. That doesn't exactly line up with the definition in my pro-consumer, yet capitalist eyes.
If you want to get pedantic, they are technically selling us licenses to access those games via streaming methods. Much like Netflix does with movies and Spotify does with music, both of which allow streaming AND downloads while Xcloud is just straight streaming. IANAL but that seems like the legal defense here if you want to go that route.
That argument doesn't work either. It's already known that Microsoft only had licenses that worked under App Store rules for a single game.
Microsoft should just get petty and drag its feet with that ARM-native version of Office. I say this in jest, but I really hope something can be worked out. Without xCloud, I may switch to PlayStation in November. Or I could get an Android tablet, I suppose, but I feel dirty just thinking about it. Lol.
Hey Apple, wake up, it's 2020. People want this stuff, and your antiquated policies are getting in the way.
This is going to become a bigger issue if games streaming gets popular. Right now it is a battle where Apple can stick it to Microsoft and Google. But for me, this was a big reason why I switched to Android. I saw GeForce Now and Stadia available on Android and nothing on iPhone. I figured Apple's policies were the reason and felt like the closed ecosystem suddenly got a bit too closed. That wasn't an easy decision to make, but I referenced this very issue after I switched:
forums.macrumors.com
Of course, my experience is anecdotal, but this goes back to the potential for game streaming to become more mainstream. This could turn out to be a sizeable PR battle in the future.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10
So been on Samsung Note 10+ for a couple of months now after switching from iPhone 11 Pro Max. My thoughts below. Sorry....they are a bit all over the place. iPhone is definitely a more premium feeling phone, but it is also heavier. I'm actually preferring the lighter Note's aluminum build...
forums.macrumors.com
Of course, my experience is anecdotal, but this goes back to the potential for game streaming to become more mainstream. This could turn out to be a sizeable PR battle in the future.
Y-e-a-h... Either there's something I'm not correctly interpreting or this is indeed a case of Apple being bully.
My understanding is that xCloud allows a person to use a tablet or smartphone as a portable TV and controller relay with their own Xbox being the server. If so, the xCloud app is similar to remote desktop apps, such as VNC Viewer -- and, if necessary, to obey the rules and improve performance, MS could restrict the use to being on the same network as the Xbox.
On the contrary, if the xCloud app is more like Steam, converting any device into a gaming console (i.e. Xbox), Apple does have a little validity to the restriction.
Either way, this does seem to be another example of how Apple has changed. Without emotional and creative thinkers such as Steve Jobs and Jony Ive, Apple is becoming more and more like every other company, its actions strictly about profit -- 😥
Platforms supporting xCloud: Xbox, Windows 10 PC, Android (MS doesn't provide hardware compatibility info)
That doesn't look very widespread in terms of acceptance.
xCloud connects the user to one of the Xbox consoles in Microsoft's Azure datacenter and provides the user to a collection of games provided via Microsoft's Game Pass service which costs the user $15 a month. Microsoft compares this to the "Netflix of gaming". I think the crux of the problem here is that you have a major revenue stream in the works that Apple is not getting any part of it.
It doesn't? What's missing outside of Mac and iOS?
How is this any different than Netflix or Spotify? Apple competes with them but doesn’t make any money off them. Heck Apple created a whole app category to exempt them from giving Apple a cut. Seems to me Apple is just admitting they make a crap ton of money off App Store games and so any game or game service that doesn’t give them a cut is not allowed.
xCloud itself is closed. It's all older games. Microsoft still wants people to have to buy Windows PC hardware and Xbox hardware to play the latest games. That's pretty standard practice: restrict what's available in order to potentially increase the amount of $$ spent by the consumer.