> Epic has no right to run anything on iOS except by Apple's permission.

Epic should have every right to distribute apps and users every right to download them (outside the app store at no cost to Apple) . Unfortunately in our dystopian reality a couple of corporations get to decide who can run what.

They signed a contract willingly, no one forced them to.

Also they are completely fine with the console stores.

They signed but not willingly. This notion of "you signed = you consent" is ridiculous when you are in practice forced to sign.

When there is a mono/duopoly there is no choice if you want to live or do business. You are forced to accept their conditions.

I do not agree with banks, Google, Linkdln, FB, etc. yet I have been forced to sign their user agreement to have a job, to be able to buy food, etc. In no way I consent to their terms but I have been forced.

Consoles situation is bad too but you can live without a console, you can't live without a phone.

The usage of phones is not comparable with consoles. We do everything on phone/tablets/laptop and almost nothing on consoles.

That's why addressing Google / Apple Store monopolies are a priority compared to marginal things in our lives like consoles

Plenty of people live with feature phones and do whatever they need on their computer, nothing obliges them to buy an iPhone.

And so then the question at hand is whether it was a legal contract due to constraints on what Apple is allowed to do as a market actor in their position.

Which as proven by other app stores, completely legal.

Epic will fall flat on its face and the dreams of having their own 30% lost.

But hey, they can always create their own Epic Machines.

If Epic fought against console stores, people would say they are completely fine with Apple's store.

Epic is just playing stupid games for their bottom line and then there are all these hippies, the same ones that believed in junk like Google's "Do no evil", routing for Epic, without realising that they just want their Epic store, with their own exclusives.

It is going to be such a major fail, thankfully some lawyers will be happy.

Why you think people who want Epic to win are actually Epic fanboys ? This is not about Epic, this is about Apple. I couldn't care less about Epic.

Apple is abusing its position, Epic wants to allow alternative stores and more competition from anybody, not just them.

This is a fight against an abuse of position, this will benefit everyone, not just epic.

How the hell is that okay to take money from inside a service.

Did Chrome asked 30% on all Ebay sells because users where using Chrome as the "platform" to access EBay ?

How can we even support Apple on that one ?

Don't like Apple, buy something else, period.

I only use Apple devices at the office.

Yeah, really there is such a huge benefit in alternative Android stores, they are blooming everywhere.

Having additional app stores would be a win for everybody except Apple. Whatever Epic's intentions may be, if they succeed we all win against the massive mobile duopoly.

Android proves otherwise.

I don't root for Epic, I root against Apple.

The 60's are long gone and PC was an accident of IBM's incompetency to keep it vertically integrated as other home micro platforms. Something that Android, tablet and laptop OEMs are in the process of fixing.

Keep hating Apple if it makes you happy.

What?

If you missed the references it isn't me that is going to explain them.

iOS is not an open platform. Apple has never marketed it as such, never promised as such, and there are a healthy number of alternatives (primarily Android) for those who are interested in it.

iOS/Apple have no legal requirement to host Epic's content...or allow Epic to distribute without following Apple's rules...