UKRAINE-2020/10/13: In this photo illustration a screenshot of Apple’s CEO Tim Cook from Apple’s launch promotional material of the new iPhone12 seen displayed on a smartphone screen with the apple logo in the background. (Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/ SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Epic’s case against Apple has finally come to the stage where the latter’s CEO Tim Cook will testify in court. Except for the widely quoted “I am not a player” (I’m not a gamerIn addition to the testimony, he also explained in court the relationship between Apple and developers, as well as the company’s business in China and its relationship with the government.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers pointed out in the court that according to a survey conducted by Apple, 39% of developers are not satisfied with Apple’s distribution plan. Faced with such a high ratio, the judge wanted to know if Apple had any measures to “meet their needs.” Cook’s answer to this is that given the number of apps that Apple has rejected, the “friction” between them and the developers is inevitable. But these “frictions” will be “good for users” because it makes them feel “safe and secure.”
When referring to games, the judge pointed out that “a substantial portion” of App Store revenue and in-app purchase revenue are derived from games. The game industry actually creates “disproportionate” revenue for Apple. And for banking apps like Wells Fargo, only the developer’s annual fee is given to Apple every year. The judge wanted to know whether the game was essentially “subsidizing” other free apps. Cook did not agree with this. He believed that the existence of “a large number” of free apps would bring more traffic to all developers.
In addition, Epic’s lawyers also asked questions about Apple’s policies in China in court, including the cooperation in Guizhou on the cloud, and the removal of apps from the App Store at the request of the government. In this regard, Cook said that Apple is obliged to abide by the laws and regulations of the country where it does business. When asked about Google’s payment to become the default search engine for iOS, Cook said that he did not know the specific cost, and answered “This question may be better to ask them (Google)”. In fact, Apple’s cooperation with Google is also facing a monopoly investigation by the Department of Justice in the United States, and Google’s actions are accused of illegal monopoly in the field of search advertising.
Finally, there was a long debate in the court on the question of how much revenue the App Store will generate. Cook repeatedly emphasized that Apple will not separately count the specific data of the App Store, but he has a “rough feeling” about the numbers. The only certainty is that the App Store revenue on iOS will be “a lot more” than the App Store on Mac, and the most profitable of these is games.
After Cook completes his testimony, the court is expected to make a closing statement next Monday. However, according to the judge, it will take “some time” to be short, and if it goes well, the result may be in mid-August.