Apple’s App Store Isn’t Evil
As the iPhone maker squares off in court with Epic Games, it’s worth remembering what’s really at stake.
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Apple’s App Store is a boon to users, a marvel of software innovation and an exemplar of cutthroat competitiveness. Is it also a standing violation of antitrust law?
That’s a contention that Epic Games, the maker of “Fortnite,” will test in court next week. Epic doesn’t like that Apple takes a 30% cut of its in-app sales on its devices. To avoid the fee, and in violation of the store’s rules, Epic introduced a payment system that would allow users to purchase items from it directly. Apple and Google (which has a similar arrangement) both yanked “Fortnite” from their mobile stores in response. A lawsuit followed.