The strict rules that Apple applies for its App Store are necessary because of the risk profile of a smartphone and all the personal information that such a device contains.
CEO Tim Cook said this on Friday on the last day of the lawsuit between Apple and Epic. That games company accuses Apple of monopolistic behaviour and abuse of power.
Tim Cook says he is more concerned about the iPhone than users of his company’s Mac computers. “You have a phone in your pocket, and you want to be able to use it at any time.” In order to guarantee the safety of the user, according to the Apple CEO, stricter rules are needed, such as a closed system (installing mobile apps outside the App Store is not possible).
‘But the amount of iPhones on the market also plays a role,’ says Cook. Apple has sold more than a billion cell phones since the iPhone’s introduction almost fourteen years ago.
However, Epic finds the commission of up to thirty percent that Apple charges for all sales of apps, subscriptions and purchases in apps disproportionate. The company compared the situation to the Mac, where users can download programs outside of Apple’s dedicated software store. But Cook does not find that comparable. Earlier, Craig Federighi, who is responsible for software development at Apple, took a similar stance.
Last year, Epic decided to activate its own payment system for the popular game Fortnite, which goes against the rules of the App Store. When Apple subsequently decided to remove the game from the software store, Epic accused Apple of monopolistic behaviour and announced a lawsuit.
Apple has been getting more criticism lately because of the rules for the App Store. Supervisors in various countries are looking at this. The European Commission recently stated that Apple was pulling its own music streaming service Apple Music ahead of competitors such as Spotify.
