Microsoft Blames Apple for Xbox Mobile Store Delay (eurogamer.net) 18
Microsoft has officially cited Apple's App Store policies as the roadblock preventing its Xbox mobile store launch promised for July 2024. In an amicus brief supporting Epic Games filed this week, Microsoft alleged that Apple's "anti-steering policies" have "stymied" its mobile store ambitions despite a court injunction allowing developers to advertise alternative payment methods.
The brief challenges Apple's attempt to overturn this crucial ruling, which enabled Fortnite's App Store return with external payment links. Microsoft argues that launching its store under threat of Apple potentially winning a temporary stay creates significant business risk. The restrictions also impact Microsoft's Xbox mobile app functionality.
The brief challenges Apple's attempt to overturn this crucial ruling, which enabled Fortnite's App Store return with external payment links. Microsoft argues that launching its store under threat of Apple potentially winning a temporary stay creates significant business risk. The restrictions also impact Microsoft's Xbox mobile app functionality.
Consumers (Score:3)
Anti-monopoly laws are supposed to protect consumers. Are consumers clamoring to have five different app stores on their phone?
I'm seriously asking, as I only have a dozen or so apps on my phone, mainly remote controls for some audio gadgets and car, a couple of authenticators, VLC and OneNote. I've never paid for an app or game on my phone.
Re: (Score:2)
Are consumers clamoring to have five different app stores on their phone?
Probably not but the point is that we could not even find that out for Apple because they would not allow anyone to do it. That's not even the moopoly issue though, it's legal to have a monopoly what is illegal is using that monopoly power to create and further the monopoly, that's how they lost.
I've never paid for an app or game on my phone.
Apple did $100B in App store revenue in 202, we have to be capable of arguing points outside of personal experiences.
Missing the point (Score:3)
Are consumers clamoring to have five different app stores on their phone?
The point isn't to know "how many consumers actually want this" - it's to know if some company is actively interfering with making that a possibility.
At the end of the day, we really can't know the wants of consumers when something is technically possible but there are artificial barriers to making it happen (thereby limiting all other possibilities as well).
I'm reminded of how the whole movie-rental business (and peripheral benefits) may never have happened if the movie industry had been successful in maki
Re: (Score:2)
The point isn't to know "how many consumers actually want this"
That is very much the point. Is forcing Apple to allow third party app stores good for consumers, or good for the third party app stores? I don't particularly care one way or the other, but I can't fathom that most consumers want to install and deal with multiple app stores on their phones.
Re: (Score:2)
That is very much the point. Is forcing Apple to allow third party app stores good for consumers, or good for the third party app stores?
Again, we can't know either way.... until that possibility is allowed to happen. Might be a great benefit to consumers, or might be a bust. Point is we can't know with that possibility being artificially denied.
I don't particularly care one way or the other, but I can't fathom that most consumers want to install and deal with multiple app stores on their phones.
Simply because you can't see a benefit for yourself doesn't mean the possibility doesn't exist for anyone else. And no, your say isn't everyone's as well.
Re: (Score:2)
Simply because you can't see a benefit for yourself doesn't mean the possibility doesn't exist for anyone else. And no, your say isn't everyone's as well.
True, but I haven't heard a good answer as to why anyone would prefer to install the Epic store to play Fortnite, and install the Amazon store to buy audio books, and install the Microsoft store to install Teams, and install the Google store to install Waze, and install the Steam store to play Portal, instead of just buying those apps from the Google or Apple app store. How does that make the experience of the consumer better.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
I sure don't. Having to go to 5 different app stores to get all the apps I want is a fucking disaster. I suspect most feel the same way.
Re: (Score:1)
Nobody claimed to speak for you.
Re: Consumers (Score:2)
If you look at macOS (where the App Store is not required), there are more kinds of apps, more app purchasing models (for ex. upgrades) and consumers overwhelming buy apps outside of the App Store.
It's also pretty easy to see how alternative App Stores become super popular.. For ex. Do you think current Steam users would like to be able to cross-buy games for PC, Mac and iOS? That seems like a no brainer and huge win for consumers by itself.
Re: (Score:2)
If you look at macOS (where the App Store is not required), there are more kinds of apps, more app purchasing models (for ex. upgrades) and consumers overwhelming buy apps outside of the App Store.
And devs are far less restricted in distributing their software outside Apple's restrictive stores - a clear benefit to consumers.
Re: Consumers (Score:4, Insightful)
"Anti-monopoly laws are supposed to protect consumers. Are consumers clamoring to have five different app stores on their phone?"
That's irrelevant. Apple has fought to prevent it, which is anticompetitive, which is illegal for reasons of protecting the customer. If Apple hadn't taken this anticompetitive action to begin with, then additional app stores would have had traction by now.
Also, although it is not relevant to whether the action was anticompetitive, yes there are some users who are demanding this (some go so far as to jailbreak their device so that they can do it) and they should not be hamstrung either by Apple's quest for more profit or by the ignorance of other customers which was fostered by Apple.
Finally, the fact that Google allows loading of additional app stores (and since Android 12 they can do everything an app store should be able to do including silent upgrades) and yet this has not created massive security problems nor has it stopped them from having the dominant app store for the platform) proves that it is not necessary to prevent competing app stores for any reason.
Re: (Score:1)
That's exactly it. I don't know a single real person who wants, needs or complaints about multiple app stores on their phone.
It's a totally made up problem by people/companies who want to ride the coat tails of Apple and Google. Fuck them.
Re: (Score:2)
people/companies who want to ride the coat tails of Apple and Google.
If it weren't for developers making apps for their platforms, iOS and Android wouldn't be anywhere near where they are in popularity/usefulness (remember Jobs touting web apps as the solution? Notice how they're now neutering that functionality on iOS? Of course, hearing the fanboys you'd think Apple invented the internet & web, and that it should be up to Apple how the web runs, right?).
If anything, it's the devs who are giving these 2 companies lift.