Peely the Banana Debuts in Apple-Epic Fight Over Offensive Apps
Malathi Nayak, Bloomberg News
(Bloomberg) Apple Inc. is trying to show a judge that it cares more than Epic Games Inc. about policing objectionable content on apps which is how the companies got into a fight Monday over a ânaked banana.â
In defense of its App Storeâs developer fees and strict rules, Apple has been touting its efforts to keep offensive content and security threats away from its iOS devices.
After an attorney for the iPhone maker last week grilled the general manager of Epicâs game store over some of the risque content available on the game makerâs marketplace, the conversation with Epicâs marketing manager on the witness stand turned to Agent Peely, an ax-wielding banana action figure in Fortnite who, like other characters, can be dressed in various costumes, known in the game as skins. The lawyer displayed an image of Peely clad in a tuxedo, telling the judge that Ap
Apple Defends App Review, Payment System to Deflect Epic Claims
Mark Gurman, Bloomberg News David Evans, chairman Global Economics Group LLC, second right, arrives at the U.S. district court in Oakland, California, U.S., on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. Epic Games seized on Apple private survey of developers to show that the creator of Fortnite isn t alone in bashing the App Store. , Bloomberg
(Bloomberg) Apple Inc. provided in-depth detail on how many apps it rejected last year and why its iPhone payment system keeps customers secure, seeking to deflect claims from Epic Games Inc. that its review process and purchase system is a deterrent to competition.
This Week in Apps: App Store advertising expands, Google Play plans for safety, Epic v. Apple trial begins
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy.
The app industry continues to grow, with a record 218 billion downloads and $143 billion in global consumer spend in 2020. Consumers last year also spent 3.5 trillion minutes using apps on Android devices alone. And in the U.S., app usage surged ahead of the time spent watching live TV. Currently, the average American watches 3.7 hours of live TV per day, but now spends four hours per day on their mobile devices.
Mark Gurman, Bloomberg News
(Bloomberg) The veteran Apple Inc. executive who runs day-to-day operations at the App Store will be playing defense Thursday in the companyâs trial with Epic Games Inc.
Matt Fischer will be the first Apple employee to take the witness stand as Epic, the creator of Fortnite, tries to convince a federal judge that the marketplace for apps that run on hundreds of millions of iPhones is operated like a monopoly. Trystan Kosmynka, a senior director at Apple in charge of the app review process, is set to be called to the stand later in the day.