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Woah - Epic says they would release a competing app store if it weren't for "Apple's illegal restraints". > But for Apple’s illegal restraints, Epic would prov

Woah - Epic says they would release a competing app store if it weren't for "Apple's illegal restraints". > But for Apple’s illegal restraints, Epic would provide a competing app store on iOS devices, which would allow iOS users to download apps in an innovative, curated store and would provide users the choice to use Epic’s or another third-party’s in-app payment processing tool." Part 16, in the Intro.

mike_d 6y ago
Which holds zero legal weight, because Apple can point to them doing exactly that on Android to avoid paying Google Pay fees. They abandoned the plan about a year later because consumers didn't want to use it.
- discardable_dan 6y ago
  To be fair, if Epic does this I won't want to use it (just like with their desktop client).
- supermatt 6y ago
  > They abandoned the plan about a year later because consumers didn't want to use it. Due to high friction caused by android treating third party stores (and the apps instalkled through them) differently to the google play store - which will most definitely be an upcoming complaint...
maps7 6y ago
I hope Apple are forced to allow this
- viro 6y ago
  why? so epic can make more money? they don't care about you ... they just want more money
  - gameswithgo 6y ago
    That actually isn't true. Tim Sweeny has majority control and does care. For him this is ideological.
    - viro 6y ago
      umm Tim Sweeny? you mean the first person to do store exclusives in PC gaming?
      - dgellow 6y ago
        Store exclusives have been a thing since forever.
        viro 6y ago
        where on PC?
        dgellow 6y ago
        Some quick examples: - Blizzard games are exclusive to their store since forever - EA's Origin has exclusives since they exist (or at least since 2011, not sure if that's from the beginning) - Valve's games are Steam exclusives Epic has time-exclusives, offering a very good deal to game makers, and is a quite good way to compete with Steam. If you're not happy with their store, just wait a year and you may buy the games you want on other platforms if the developers decide to do so.
        account42 6y ago
        Those are all examples of companies creating their own store so they can sell their products directly wihout paying someone else. This would be equivalent to Epic requiring to you to use their store to play Fortnite. I think that is shitty behavior but as you said, has become standard. What Epic is doing, and the main reason they are being critisized, is approaching smaller developers and bribing them to not sell on other stores even if, in many cases, they had already promised their customers to sell on their stores. That is a wholly different level of scumbaggery.
- Talyen42 6y ago
  I don't. I really don't want to troubleshoot my parents iPhones after they install arbitrary code from the Alternative App Store #12 after clicking on a banner ad run by an anonymous chinese entity. Holy shit.
  - ahnick 6y ago
    Then your parents can still use Apple's app store in such a world and pay a premium. In fact, in such a world your parent's would probably benefit too, because Apple would actually face competition and would reduce their 30% to a more reasonable level.
    - canttestthis 6y ago
      Apple builds trust in the iPhone by curating apps that are allowed to be installed on it. When I buy an iPhone for my family I _trust_ that Apple is doing the right thing and will prevent its users from harm. I wouldn't have that same level of trust if it was easy to just add alternate App Stores on the device.
      - RIMR 6y ago
        lmao, you sound like Apple's PR team...
      - ahnick 6y ago
        Apple curates and still bad actor apps make it onto the app store. It's not like Apple has a 100% pure record here. There is also no reason to think that Apple is the only company in the world capable of carrying out curation. If Epic Games, had their own app store I doubt they would want to allow apps on their app store that violated their users' privacy and other malicious activities just as much as Apple. Maybe you personally would never feel comfortable trusting Epic Games, but why should others even be denied the option?
        leadingthenet 6y ago
        They’re not, they can use Android. If you buy an iPhone, this is an implicit choice you make.
Macha 6y ago
I mean, they already have the infrastructure on PC, and third party app stores exist on Android already (most notably Amazon's).

mike_d 6y ago

Which holds zero legal weight, because Apple can point to them doing exactly that on Android to avoid paying Google Pay fees. They abandoned the plan about a year later because consumers didn't want to use it.

discardable_dan 6y ago
To be fair, if Epic does this I won't want to use it (just like with their desktop client).
supermatt 6y ago
> They abandoned the plan about a year later because consumers didn't want to use it. Due to high friction caused by android treating third party stores (and the apps instalkled through them) differently to the google play store - which will most definitely be an upcoming complaint...

maps7 6y ago

I hope Apple are forced to allow this

viro 6y ago
why? so epic can make more money? they don't care about you ... they just want more money
- gameswithgo 6y ago
  That actually isn't true. Tim Sweeny has majority control and does care. For him this is ideological.
  - viro 6y ago
    umm Tim Sweeny? you mean the first person to do store exclusives in PC gaming?
    - dgellow 6y ago
      Store exclusives have been a thing since forever.
      - viro 6y ago
        where on PC?
        dgellow 6y ago
        Some quick examples: - Blizzard games are exclusive to their store since forever - EA's Origin has exclusives since they exist (or at least since 2011, not sure if that's from the beginning) - Valve's games are Steam exclusives Epic has time-exclusives, offering a very good deal to game makers, and is a quite good way to compete with Steam. If you're not happy with their store, just wait a year and you may buy the games you want on other platforms if the developers decide to do so.
        account42 6y ago
        Those are all examples of companies creating their own store so they can sell their products directly wihout paying someone else. This would be equivalent to Epic requiring to you to use their store to play Fortnite. I think that is shitty behavior but as you said, has become standard. What Epic is doing, and the main reason they are being critisized, is approaching smaller developers and bribing them to not sell on other stores even if, in many cases, they had already promised their customers to sell on their stores. That is a wholly different level of scumbaggery.
Talyen42 6y ago
I don't. I really don't want to troubleshoot my parents iPhones after they install arbitrary code from the Alternative App Store #12 after clicking on a banner ad run by an anonymous chinese entity. Holy shit.
- ahnick 6y ago
  Then your parents can still use Apple's app store in such a world and pay a premium. In fact, in such a world your parent's would probably benefit too, because Apple would actually face competition and would reduce their 30% to a more reasonable level.
  - canttestthis 6y ago
    Apple builds trust in the iPhone by curating apps that are allowed to be installed on it. When I buy an iPhone for my family I _trust_ that Apple is doing the right thing and will prevent its users from harm. I wouldn't have that same level of trust if it was easy to just add alternate App Stores on the device.
    - RIMR 6y ago
      lmao, you sound like Apple's PR team...
    - ahnick 6y ago
      Apple curates and still bad actor apps make it onto the app store. It's not like Apple has a 100% pure record here. There is also no reason to think that Apple is the only company in the world capable of carrying out curation. If Epic Games, had their own app store I doubt they would want to allow apps on their app store that violated their users' privacy and other malicious activities just as much as Apple. Maybe you personally would never feel comfortable trusting Epic Games, but why should others even be denied the option?
      - leadingthenet 6y ago
        They’re not, they can use Android. If you buy an iPhone, this is an implicit choice you make.

Macha 6y ago

I mean, they already have the infrastructure on PC, and third party app stores exist on Android already (most notably Amazon's).