Let me tell you a little story about game call Tekken x Street Fighter. Back when I bought it was $40 from GameStop. But when you bought the physical game, 7 or 8 characters were locked until you paid for them digitally - another $15 in Sony’s “walled garden”. Guess what happened when you bought the game used? The next person still had to pay the $15. So sure you can buy the disc used but you can’t buy half the content.

Can I buy the Carlton dance on Fortnite used? Can I sell all of the virtual items I bought on Fortnite? Can I buy items and use them on the “Fortnite platform” without giving Epic a cut? Epic has just as much of a “monopoly” on the Fortnite platform as Apple does on iOS.

See how silly it sounds when you just arbitrarily use the term “monopoly”?

The in app purchase of digital goods is a can of worms on its own, but completely orthogonal to the issue at hands with Apple monopoly.

I would argue that the fact that Apple forces publishers to go through in app purchase for everything related to money exchange between the publisher and the user is even worse than being a monopoly

I think creating a walled garden where they are the sole ruler and dictator it's unfair, but profitting from shady practices like selling items in games that more oftne than not are played by kids, it's criminal

I don't like Sony, MS, Google, Facebook, Epic etc. etc. more than Apple.

Simply on this matter I think Epic is right and Apple wrong.

I don't take parts with companies, only my side as a user.

Killing Apple monopoly is better for the end users, full stop.

> See how silly it sounds when you just arbitrarily use the term “monopoly”?

It is silly to not understand context.

As a thought experiment, if that bothers you, imagine if Sony handled the same way your contacts, calendars, personal data and also removed the game from your console because you bought it in an non approved market.

Imagine they said it was for your own safety, because you are unable to discern good from bad, but at the same time dozen of celebrities had their private pictures and videos leaked because the Sony cloud is not as secure as they say...

Would you still trust Sony?

Isn’t this exactly what Epic is doing with Fortnite?

Killing Apple monopoly is better for the end users, full stop.

How is Apple’s “monopoly” on digital sells on its platform any different than Epic’s “monopoly” on buying digital goods on Fortnite? Could I set up a “virtual store” within Fortnite and sell “cool” dance moves? If they can make money off of selling the Carlton dance, why can’t I set up a storefront to sell the “Scarface dance” on their store? Can I resell virtual goods I buy in Fortnite?

As a thought experiment, if that bothers you, imagine if Sony handled the same way your contacts, calendars, personal data and also removed the game from your console because you bought it in an non approved market.

Apple didn’t remove the game from individuals devices. In fact, if you have already downloaded the game and you wipe your device, you can still redownload Fortnite from the App Store?

Isn't Apple asking for a 30% cut on that?

How it is that relevant to Apple monopoly?

> How is Apple’s “monopoly” on digital sells on its platform any different than Epic’s “monopoly

Well, I guess that if you are a functioning adult you are able to figure out yourself the difference between a game that you can only use for playing the game and a computing platform that you can use for practically everything

Of course Epic has a monopoly on Epic games, Apple has a monopoly on Apple Mail, that's how the author rights work

> If they can make money off of selling the Carlton dance, why can’t I set up a storefront to sell the “Scarface dance” on their store?

Sue them.

Or make Apple do it.

Can you guess why nobody is doing it?

Because you can https://www.epicgames.com/affiliate/en-US/overview

I thought you were working for a FAANG, how did you make it without being able to do a simple search?

> Apple didn’t remove the game from individuals devices

Not yet.

But they potentially could.

And you know why they haven't removed it?

Because the version available on people's phone still relies on their payment processor for in app payments.

I still have to give Epic a cut. Why can’t I accept credit cards on the Epic platform and bypass Epic’s “walled garden”?

Because the version available on people's phone still relies on their payment processor for in app payments.

The version on the phone allows people to bypass Apple’s in app payment.

Isn't Apple asking for a 30% cut on that?

The original sin was to allow in app purchases for consumables in games to fester on iOS in the first place. I would be fine if all games had to either be paid up front or allow you to pay for levels you keep.

Count to 10 and ask yourself the same question in front of a mirror

I'm sure you'll find the right answer

(Epic is not complaining that Apple takes a cut, but that the only way to ask for money to users is go through Apple store, which doesn't make Epic software, if Apple asked it only for Apple software, that would be much less of a problem)

So it’s Apple’s fault that your plan doesn’t have SMS?

Where is the Apple grocery store?

It’s called Android, their are literally dozens of other phones out their from $50-$2000 in every shape and form you can imagine.

I wouldn’t complain because I couldn’t get pizza in a Chinese restaurant. I would go to a Pizza shop.

That's because best buy and Amazon are competitors And competition is good Apple, on the other hand, don't like competitors, Apple loves a monopoly, and doesn't let you advertise your own website

You are just as free to say that you can get a cheaper subscription on your one website as you can say you can buy a TV cheaper somewhere else - just not in a competitors store.

Apple, on the other hand, don't like competitors, Apple loves a monopoly, and doesn't let you advertise your own website

Apple has plenty of competition. I go into a cell phone store, I see dozens of phones besides iPhones. Just like when I go into GameStop I see three incompatible consoles.

Of course you wouldn't, you would retire it immediately and sell it on the many other channels available, because there isn't only best buy. But when it's about Apple you are ok with it.

I don’t complain on the internet about Android or Windows. I choose the alternative. I didn’t need the government for that. Free will is great isn’t it. I also didn’t complain back in the day that Nintendo only allowed certain types of games - I bought an alternate console.

Even when people were complaining that Microsoft was a monopoly. I had an MS free house.

I guess that's what happen when people suffer from Stockholm syndrome

What do you say about people that constantly complain about products that they don’t own?

If Apple is stifling competition, where all of the profitable, successful Android only apps?

It's Apple fault to not make an iMessage app for Android though

My friends with iPhones don't even know that when they are messaging with me I receive an SMS, because Apple never made it clear that iMessage is Apple only

SMS by the way is not a chat protocol, it's an alerting protocol

So Apple is using it wrong

> It’s called Android, their are literally dozens of other phones out their from $50-$2000 in every shape and form you can imagine.

Android is not Apple competitor.

Android is iOS competitor and prior was Windows Mobile or Blackberry competitor.

In fact you can install a different OS on Android phones, you can't on Apple phones and that's the point, if it's a closed platform, it's a closed market, different from other markets and Apple is a monopolist in it.

You are conflating you arguments with meaningless comparisons.

> I wouldn’t complain because I couldn’t get pizza in a Chinese restaurant. I would go to a Pizza shop.

You would if the chinese store forced you to buy pizza from them because you have chinese pottery at home

I don't know why is it so hard to understand that these arguments are childish at best

> You are just as free to say that you can get a cheaper subscription on your one website as you can say you can buy a TV cheaper somewhere else - just not in a competitors store.

No, you are not on Apple store.

From their developers' guidelines

Chapter 3, paragraph 3.1

> Apps may not use their own mechanisms to unlock content or functionality, such as license keys, augmented reality markers, QR codes, etc. Apps and their metadata may not include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than in-app purchase.

I imagined that before engaging in a discussion you read the relative documentation ...

I guess you didn't

> Apple has plenty of competition

It does not.

It's artificial competition.

The point is Apple is a market per se and is a monopolist in that market.

If only people could have some degree of freedom it would be a different situation.

> I choose the alternative.

THere's no alternative to Apple, Apple is a different closed ecosystem.

When you'll understand that, everything will be clearer.

> I didn’t need the government for that.

Iḿ sorry to state it like this, Iḿ Italian and my english is decent at best, but who cares what you need?

I don't need a doctor right now, but I'm happy the government of my country is funding a public healthcare that can take care for free of people who need it and/or couldn't afford it if it was an expensive procedure

> Even when people were complaining that Microsoft was a monopoly. I had an MS free house.

They weren't complaining, they were stating the obvious, in fact MS was sentenced for "abuse of dominant position"

Sun Microsystem raised the complain and won.

Epic is doing the same to Apple, and will probably get some satisfaction.

> What do you say about people that constantly complain about products that they don’t own?

What do you say of people that constantly assume?

> If Apple is stifling competition, where all of the profitable, successful Android only apps?

The same apps that are profitable on iOS are profitable on Android, but they cost less for the user and the developer have the possibility of earning more

You can play Fortnite on Android even if Google removes it from their store.

Can you do the same on iOS?