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Epic celebrates "the end of the Apple Tax" after court win in iOS payments case

(arstechnica.com)
432 points nobody9999 | 5 comments | 12 Dec 25 16:04 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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concinds ◴[12 Dec 25 17:23 UTC] No.46246274[source]▶
It feels like courts are not doing a good job promoting "competition".

- Apple shouldn't be able to charge for external payments, come on.

- Force prominent disclosure of refund policies. Epic Games doesn't allow them for IAP. Apple does. Epic knows exactly how predatory that is, betting some kids will find ways to spend thousands and the parents will be helpless. Ideally you'd have a law mandating refunds, but without that, there should be mandatory disclosure on the IAP screen, at least for microtransaction games. You can't have fair "competition" when you have an information asymmetry, and if these rulings don't mandate that, you'll open the floodgate for these gaming companies to screw over parents.

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midtake ◴[12 Dec 25 18:05 UTC] No.46246762[source]▶
Why shouldn't Apple be able to charge whatever the fuck they want on their own platform, while users of their platform can? Now Sweeney can sell vbux to kids and Apple has to just grin and bear it?
replies(2): >>46246965 #>>46247007 #
jncfhnb ◴[12 Dec 25 18:23 UTC] No.46247007[source]▶
Because they’re forcing people to use their platform
replies(1): >>46248500 #
samdoesnothing ◴[12 Dec 25 20:31 UTC] No.46248500[source]▶
Oh yeah those pesky armed thugs that go around forcing you to buy Apple products sure are annoying...

Nobody is getting forced to use the Apple platform.

replies(1): >>46249153 #
1. jncfhnb ◴[12 Dec 25 21:25 UTC] No.46249153[source]▶
I bought a phone. It’s my phone. It’s not Apple’s phone. Apple can fuck off telling me what I’m allowed to do with my phone.
replies(1): >>46250985 #
2. samdoesnothing ◴[13 Dec 25 01:11 UTC] No.46250985[source]▶
Whoever owns the device can do what they want with it, Apple cannot tell you what you're allowed to do with your phone. You're making up a scenario in your head.

This goes both ways - when Apple produces a phone, they own it and they're also free to load whatever software they want onto it. They then enter into voluntary transactions with others, in which the ownership of the phone is transferred along with the right to load whatever software is desired.

If you can't figure out how to load your desired software onto an iPhone, don't buy one. But it's certainly not Apples problem at that point since, as you said, they no longer have a right to any say in how that device is used, and thus also give up any responsibilities you seem to desire.

replies(1): >>46254056 #
3. jncfhnb ◴[13 Dec 25 12:20 UTC] No.46254056[source]▶
Jail breaking the phone is not sufficient for fair play.

Apple is actively preventing competition for app stores on the iPhone. And in other countries they’ve already lost the battle.

replies(1): >>46260943 #
4. samdoesnothing ◴[14 Dec 25 05:20 UTC] No.46260943{3}[source]▶
> Apple is actively preventing competition for app stores on the iPhone.

Walmart is actively preventing competition for grocery stores inside Walmarts.

Not everything is a monopoly and not everything needs to be totally competitive....

replies(1): >>46263023 #
5. jncfhnb ◴[14 Dec 25 14:01 UTC] No.46263023{4}[source]▶
Walmart owns Walmart’s. Apple doesn’t own my phone. Again, Apple can fuck off.