Bermuda Post

Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Apple's App Store draws developer ire and legal challenge

Apple's App Store draws developer ire and legal challenge

While Apple chief Tim Cook touts the brand's App Store as an economic miracle, Fortnite-maker Epic Games says developers suffer under its tyranny.
The online shop -- the only way software apps can get onto iPhones or other Apple mobile devices -- is at the heart of a trial opening Monday in a federal court across the bay from San Francisco.

Apple opened its App Store in July 2008, a year after the release of the first iPhone.

The shop, stocked with mobile apps tailored for devices powered by iOS mobile software, was quickly imitated by rival smartphone makers.

It ignited an entire economy where developers big or small could make money with "an app for that," from games or social networking to summoning car rides or ordering food.

Apps are only allowed onto Apple mobile devices through the App Store, which requires them to abide by rules for privacy and security.

The App Store -- the lone gateway onto the more than one billion iPhones in use around the world -- has grown to include more than 1.8 million apps.

Hundreds of billions of dollars in transactions take place at the App Store each year in what Apple chief Cook has called an "economic miracle."

Apple takes a commission of as much as 30% of financial transactions at the App Store, where most apps can be downloaded for free.

In January, Apple reduced its commission to 15% for newcomers and developers making less than a million dollars annually.

Apple had already cut its 30% commission in half in the case of paid subscriptions after the first year.

Some services such as music-streamer Spotify have tried to coax aspiring subscribers to avoid using the App Store. While popular services such as Netflix can rely on people doing business at their own websites, small developers lack that kind of draw.

Amazon was a rare exception, negotiating a special deal at the App Store for subscriptions to its Prime streaming television service.

Epic Games was booted from the App Store last year after it triggered an update in its Fortnite game that bypassed the Apple payment system that collects commissions.

Epic filed a lawsuit in US federal court against Apple, accusing the iPhone maker of monopolistic behavior due to its tight control of the App Store and collection of a "tax."

Apple countered that the commission reflects industry norms and amounts to fair compensation for providing a secure online shop that spans the world.

Epic and other app makers accuse Apple of tyrannically enforcing App Store rules to the Cupertino-based company's benefit.

Spotify has argued that Apple gives its own music service advantage in the shop.

On Friday, the European Union formally accused Apple of using the App Store to unfairly squeeze out music-streaming rivals in one of the biggest-ever competition cases to hit the iPhone maker.

The charge sheet lands as Apple faces a rebellion from firms that want to break free of its store's strict terms and fees, while authorities in the US, Russia, Britain and South Korea are also circling the world's biggest company.

Facebook is among the App Store critics, saying new rules, which block the tracking of users' online activity for ad targeting without express permission, is an abuse of its power.

Google runs an app shop for Android-powered mobile devices, and collects commissions, but it also lets device users get apps elsewhere.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Bermuda Post
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
'I just lost it' Lowe’s worker fired after 13 years of employment for confronting thieves trying to steal $2K of merchandise
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
×