this post was submitted on 02 May 2025
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357
Court ruling bars Apple from charging 27% commission on purchases outside the App Store (alternativeto.net)
submitted 2 days ago by tfm@europe.pub to c/technology@lemmy.world
33 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

cross-posted from: https://europe.pub/post/390943

all 39 comments
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[–] dwazou@jlai.lu 74 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (5 children)

Imagine if Microsoft banned Windows users from downloading software outside the Microsoft store.

Imagine if Microsoft required all Software developers to give them 30% of their income or be banned from Windows

This is nothing but pure extortion.

Thank god for the EU, which forced Apple to back down:

Fortnite, one of the world's biggest video games, is available as an iPhone app for the first time in four years. However, it will only be available to players in the European Union. This is because EU law requires Apple to allow third-party app stores on its devices - other parts of the world do not have comparable legislation. The game was removed from the App Store in 2020 following a payments row between Apple and Epic.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70j5rx72yvo

As for canadians/americans, they are in jail.

Imagine your friend in Europe sends you a phone invite to play .

-"Oh. I'm sorry but I am not allowed to do that 😢"

[–] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 3 points 18 hours ago

So basically Windows in S mode?

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 33 points 1 day ago

The only reason these things haven’t happened is that Microsoft was banned from doing them back in the 90s. They absolutely wanted to require a Microsoft Account (then called a Passport) in Windows XP. The ban was in place until just after Windows 7 came out.

Blame the government for doing nothing to protect consumers since 1999.

[–] Ulrich 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Thank god for the EU, which forced Apple to back down:

As for canadians/americans, they are in jail.

This isn't the EU, this is the US. Epic Games will be back in the App Store in US next week.

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Apple doesn’t ban Mac users from downloading software outside the App Store.

Microsoft bans Xbox users from downloading unlicensed software.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Microsoft bans Xbox users from downloading unlicensed software.

I'm curious what that would even look like. The only thing you can install on an Xbox is Xbox games, where are you getting the Xbox games from if not the official publisher?

[–] theherk@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (2 children)

That this completely true observation has twice the downvotes than upvotes highlights this community’s views on Apple.

[–] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 1 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

Or we're just annoyed with random whataboutisms.

[–] yallspark@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 hours ago

It’s not random. It’s a direct comparison, but people like to pretend it’s not.

I would argue I should be able to buy any game without Xbox marketplace on it.

That’s where epic is going next.

[–] theherk@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Imagine if Microsoft banned Windows users from downloading software outside the Microsoft store.

Imagine if Microsoft required all Software developers to give them 30% of their income or be banned from Windows

They were replying to the comparison to Windows. What are you on about?

[–] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 2 points 8 hours ago

Mm yeah, I probably missed that while scrolling

[–] Ulrich 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

  1. No one was talking about Mac.

  2. XBOX is not a workstation. The only thing you'd want to install on it is games. That's like, the whole point.

[–] theherk@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Imagine if Microsoft banned Windows users from downloading software outside the Microsoft store.

That was comparing desktop OS to mobile OS, which is why the person to which I replied pointed out this is different than macOS.

On your second point, neither is iOS a workstation, and one could just as easily say, “The only thing you’d want to install is mobile apps.” Okay but the problem isn’t the type of apps, it is the source of those apps. So either you should be able to get application / games from multiple sources or not.

If you think those initial downvotes were due to some pedantic distinction about workstation, and not because somebody indirectly implied that Microsoft and Apple were on similar footing in this regard, fine.

[–] Ulrich -1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That was comparing desktop OS to mobile OS

It doesn't matter. The point stands.

neither is iOS a workstation

Yes it is. It's a general computing device. The XBOX is a dedicated gaming device.

Okay but the problem isn’t the type of apps

As far as this discussion, it very much is.

So either you should be able to get application / games from multiple sources or not.

You absolutely should be able to on all platforms, but some are more important than others and comparing them like they're all the same makes no sense.

[–] theherk@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Sure, Jan.

[–] dwazou@jlai.lu 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

The Xbox doesn't have the majority of the gaming market.

The smartphone market is basically a duopoly.

[–] GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml -3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Noe does iOS, Android has the vast majority of the smartphone market

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

A duopoly doesn't require a 50/50 market share. It simply requires them to be the only real options and to both engage in similar anti-consumer practises.

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world -1 points 2 days ago (3 children)

This says Xbox has over 60% of global market share:

https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/console/worldwide/

[–] unautrenom@jlai.lu 12 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Nintendo 0%

Doubtful. These numbers provided are completely wrong. Back when files were leaked during this very trial, Epic revealed they had 3 to 4 times more players on Playstations than Xboxes everywhere other than the US.

Accorsing to Statista (accesible on a third party site if you want to avoid registring), Xbox only has 23% of the market (as opposee to PS's 45% and Nintendo's 27%).

I don't like Microsoft, and I agree sideloading should be a thing on consoles too, but they definitely do not hold a majority of the console market, let alone a monopoly.

[–] dwazou@jlai.lu 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Fair enough.

I think hardware companies should make money selling devices. They should be banned from jailing their users in a locked proprietary ecosystem.

[–] TheMcG@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 days ago

Tbh I think that data is incredibly misleading. Every single generation of PlayStation has outsold the Xbox of the same generation(yes even the ps3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_game_consoles.

Additionally looking at the faq for that site it appears to get its data via page views. What % of console users actually use the browser? Is bet very few. Especially when you consider the ps5 has no built in browser.

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Now do Xbox, Nintendo, and PS5 stores.

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Damn. Epic's on a roll in my news feed this morning.

[–] restingboredface@sh.itjust.works 12 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Isn't this charging model the same reason Kindle stopped allowing in app purchases? I thought they had said it was a Google play store thing though. Is Google doing it too or is there pricing something different?

[–] Ulrich 1 points 1 day ago

Yep, same reason you can't buy anything on Amazon Prime TV either.

[–] zqwzzle@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Yep, Apple forces all purchases through in app payment for any digital goods.

https://web.archive.org/web/20250428085353/https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/

[–] garretble@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Haha, get fucked.

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