Apple Offered Special App Store API Access to Hulu and Other Developers
Thursday May 6, 2021 12:42 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Today is the fourth day of the Epic Games v. Apple legal battle, and documents shared in the trial continue to give us insight into the App Store and Apple s business practices.
App Store Vice President Matt Fischer is on the stand answering questions from Apple and Epic lawyers, and one of the emails shared as evidence confirms that Apple has established special deals with major app developers like Hulu.
In 2018, a tweet from developer David Barnard commented about App Store subscriptions being automatically cancelled through the StoreKit API, questioning why there hadn t been more offers to swap billing away from the App Store.
What you need to know
Tim Sweeney says Epic Games would have accepted a special deal with Apple not available to any other developer to solve its App Store dispute.
That s despite claims Epic says its antitrust battle will serve to benefit all developers.
Sweeney also said he prefers an iPhone because of the security and privacy offers and admitted that 30% commission was a common charge in app marketplaces.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has admitted to a court that the company would have accepted an exclusive App Store deal had it been offered one by Apple.
Day 2 of the trial wrapped up the cross-examination of Sweeney before more of Epic s witnesses were called. Sweeney was asked multiple questions about Fortnite, iOS, and the App Store. Questioned by Apple s Richard Doren, Sweeney was asked if he knew what percentage of people who download Fortnite on iOS only buy things on iOS, Sweeney said no, but that he would be surprised if it was as low as 5%. When asked why Epic was blo
Apple forgot to revolutionize the Magic Mouse’s infamous charging port
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Image: Apple
Apple revealed a redesigned iMac and Magic Keyboard at its “Spring Loaded” event on Tuesday, but didn’t, for some reason, decide to change the Magic Mouse 2’s infamous charging solution. While the mouse will come in new colors to match the new iMacs, Apple confirmed to
The Verge that its charging port is still on the bottom meaning that five and a half years after its introduction, Apple still seems to think that the best way to charge the mouse is by flipping it over (rendering it useless) and plugging in a Lightning cable.
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Apple trusts Phobio for its trade-ins, but maybe you should think twice
The Atlanta-based firm is the behind-the-scenes operator of Apple’s trade-in program, and its online reputation raises questions
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When Daniel McGloin decided to trade in his mid-2017 Apple MacBook in February of this year, he thought he was getting a pretty good deal. The software engineer and San Diego native initiated the trade-in with Apple through the Apple Store mobile app, where he was quoted $350 for his used laptop. He felt it was in pretty good condition, with no apparent damage to the case and a fully functioning display and keyboard. So McGloin packed up the device and shipped it in, expecting to receive his money in the coming weeks, which would help offset his purchase of a MacBook Air carrying Apple’s new M1 chip.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is getting a 4K HDR remaster on June 8th
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The newly updated version of the film is due to arrive on June 8th, setting up a week of narrative whiplash for
Final Fantasy fans who will also get to enjoy the PS5 upgrade of
One might think
original
Final Fantasy VII game’s epic and occasionally bewildering story, and it relies heavily on an intimate knowledge of its twists and turns.
Final Fantasy VII Remake, by contrast, gives you a mere fraction of the saga.
For example, here’s apparently a wholly accurate description of the film’s key plot point from my colleague Nick Statt, and definitely not a series of random words that he typed into Slack: