The bomb has been planted.

awesome, another thing to addend in the lawsuit.

Two weeks ago in congress hearing - Tim Cook : “We do not retaliate or bully people. It’s strongly against our company culture.” Hope Epic will make Apple eat its own seeds.

Apple requires that all applications be approved before they can run on newer versions of macOS, even if they are distributed outside of the App Store.

So let me get this straight. If I own a Mac with the newest version of macOS I cannot write and use my own program, unless it's approved by Apple?

From the OP:

Epic now further cites that Apple CEO Tim Cook declared to the US Congress two weeks ago that Apple does not retaliate against developers who express their frustration with the App Store. "Apple is now doing just that," said Epic.

Apple does not retaliate against a dev that expresses their frustration, it goes against a dev that breaks their contract and regulations, and thus is not expressing frustration but violating guidelines, which is a fundamentally different thing to do. If Sweeney got into bitching mode again and complained about Apple's 30% on twitter or w/e again, nobody would care, but releasing software that indeed does go against their regulations is not an expression of frustration but a breach of usage agreements. And this I say simply from seeing it as a contract breach topic on Apple's side. Only Sweeney wants to turn this into a PR war (capturing people's interest in the topic for his purposes of simply keeping more money to himself).

Webhiker:

So let me get this straight. If I own a Mac with the newest version of macOS I cannot write and use my own program, unless it's approved by Apple?

You can run your own on a developer signature, but you cannot distribute it to others without Apple signing off on it.

Webhiker:

So let me get this straight. If I own a Mac with the newest version of macOS I cannot write and use my own program, unless it's approved by Apple?

I think on MacOS you can still install it - currently, the fight is for the mobile platform. Nevertheless, both Apple and Epic are scum. They work only to make more profit. Epic, even when they have made the switch, haven't decreased the cost of the "in-game trash currency" by 30% (the cut of Apple store). Instead, they have lowered it just by 20% - so the angle there all along was to make more profit. The user is irrelevant to both of the corporate parties.

fantaskarsef:

Only Sweeney wants to turn this into a PR war (capturing people's interest in the topic for his purposes of simply keeping more money to himself).

No matter his motivations, I hope he wins. Apples closed ecosystem is impeding developers and users alike, and is a monopoly in its own right. Setting a clear precedent for this sort of system requiring to be fair would go a long way.

nevcairiel:

No matter his motivations, I hope he wins. Apples closed ecosystem is impeding developers and users alike, and is a monopoly in its own right. Setting a clear precedent for this sort of system requiring to be fair would go a long way.

Except it won't.

""We are not making an exception for Epic because we don't think it is right to prioritize their business purposes over the guidelines that protect our customers." How is taking 30% protecting their customers? Protecting Apple's profits that resting in an account in Dublin ....

I'm with @fantaskarsef and @cryohellinc on this one. While I'm no fan of Apple and their overpriced hipster products, this is ultimately about Epic wanting more money (read "all") for Fortnite on Apple's mobile platform. If they don't like the EULA that they've had to agree to, then they should pull out, plain and simple. If I own an operating system, I create the rules for how it's used. I don't like how IOS is closed off, but that's why I don't use it at all. I don't think that I have the right to drag the owner of said system to court because I believe they're restricting my creativity. Unless I'm missing something in this Fortnite war, this just smells to me like another attempt by Sweeney to pose like some sort of saviour of the industry, all the while simply securing himself more cash from his cash cow.

emperorsfist:

I'm with @fantaskarsef and @cryohellinc on this one. While I'm no fan of Apple and their overpriced hipster products, this is ultimately about Epic wanting more money (read "all") for Fortnite on Apple's mobile platform. If they don't like the EULA that they've had to agree to, then they should pull out, plain and simple.

It is definitely that both companies want just more money for themselves. But It's really not that clear, because I can very easily see the lawsuit going both ways. E.g. US courts do almost exclusively side with the contract, even if it was one sided and even if there was no way to negotiate it (e.g. EULA). On the other hand Apple is a monopoly and they are trying to regulate sales that do not happen on their platform, which is an abuse of their dominate position. Either way, it's going to be really interesting to see what happens in the near future. Especially since Apple stands to lose far more than Epic.

Backstabak:

It is definitely that both companies want just more money for themselves. But It's really not that clear, because I can very easily see the lawsuit going both ways. E.g. US courts do almost exclusively side with the contract, even if it was one sided and even if there was no way to negotiate it (e.g. EULA). On the other hand Apple is a monopoly and they are trying to regulate sales that do not happen on their platform, which is an abuse of their dominate position. Either way, it's going to be really interesting to see what happens in the near future. Especially since Apple stands to lose far more than Epic.

One could also argue that EPIC pulled the Fortnite currency shtick to weasel themselves around what they agreed to in the EULA (so, percentage for Apple) and have willingly breached that way (which, let's face it, is what was the intention).

nevcairiel:

No matter his motivations, I hope he wins. Apples closed ecosystem is impeding developers and users alike, and is a monopoly in its own right. Setting a clear precedent for this sort of system requiring to be fair would go a long way.

It's only going to get worse as apple unify their ecosystem into one. This situation with Epic will likely become more common, but Epic is the loudest so far.

nevcairiel:

No matter his motivations, I hope he wins. Apples closed ecosystem is impeding developers and users alike, and is a monopoly in its own right. Setting a clear precedent for this sort of system requiring to be fair would go a long way.

Well for me personally the motivation is a big part in this. Since it's greed in both cases of Apple and Epic, I don't care who wins. In the long run, sadly, I doubt any of the money they're argueing over would end up in the user's pocket anyway. I share your opinion on Apple and it's ecosystem, haven't had any Apple products since my Ipod Nano 2 (and already was annoyed by iTunes back then). But what Epic does here honestly has nothing to do with a closed up ecosystem in any way... it's just about that share of % Apple takes. If Apple takes less, Epic wouldn't give a F about it being closed up, that's why I don't care if Epic wins.

It's very ironic that the same company people were calling "anti-competitive" just a year ago, is now pointing the finger at Apple and calling them anti-competitive. Now I'm not saying Apple is right in what they want in a cut of profits, but there are a couple factors to look at. - Apple has given Epic plenty of screen time and support as a partner for years now, including them in Keynotes and presentations and such. Even considering Epic is one of the top developers for iOS, this is a pretty shitty way for Epic to treat them. - 30% cut seems high, but also think that Apple gave a lot of headroom and front page space for Epic and Fortnite on all of their platforms. Let's be real, 30% cut is not hurting Epic at all. Fortnite prints money on every platform its on. - Gonna compare my family life to this situation. Epic broke Apple's own TOS on purpose, knowing the course of action they were going to take and then complained about it. They're going to court, because they knowingly and willingly went against Apple's TOS they agreed to when they became a developer for iOS and wanted use of the App Store. That's like me hitting my brother on purpose in front of my dad, and then complaining and getting mad I got in trouble. This is a very backhanded and childish way to get what you want. To me it seems like Epic is doing this to try to gain favor with the public and tech communities. Think about it, Epic did the same thing in Google's Play Store, yet no one is ranting or raving about that. Generally in the tech community, the cool thing to do is to hate on Apple, be against Apple, just be the opposite of Apple.

I am not American, I do not live in America, I am not a USA official, I do not care about Apple. 🙄

itpro:

I am not American, I do not live in America, I am not a USA official, I do not care about Apple. 🙄

You don't have to be a US citizen in order to care about Apple and its products/services. This affects a wide range of people.

Personally I don't give a rats hiney about Apples closed ecosystem because if I really wanted to I could jail break my phone. I have an old Macbook Pro that's never seen Mac OS booted for more than 20 minutes(to install boot camp). I won't ever buy a Mac again as I got it on employee discount(used to work for apple care lol) and being a hardcore PC gamer a Mac has never suited me. I do however care about the shady stuff Epic has been pulling not forgetting about their "EGS exclusive" and what not.