App Store Wars
Meta, Spotify and more are set to storm Apple’s walled garden in Europe
But will Apple be able to fight back with new rules, fees and restrictions in order to stay on top?
Company Profile
Apple
Website
www.apple.com
About
Best known for its hardware products, including the Macintosh line of personal computers, the iPod line of portable media players, and the iPhone. Apple's software products include Mac OS X, iTunes, iLife suite, and Final Cut Studio.
Related People
Tim Cook
CEO
Philip Schiller
Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing
Isabel Ge Mahe
VP and MD of Greater China
Ann Thai
Director of Product
Armando Soto
Creative Producer
+2 more
Articles featuring Apple
Week That Was
Week in Views - Developers speak their minds, Apple gets sneaky, and why old games are the best
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Business As Usual
Despite new regulations Apple will still be able to charge 27% on external platform payments
While following new regulations to the letter, new changes to the Apple App Store Guidelines ensure that they'll get paid no matter what
Today's Apple Upset
Apple fail to dodge sweeping app store changes as the law closes in
The latest suit from Epic may have failed, but the changes previously demanded of the iPhone giant remain in place and will have huge implications
Macrosoft
Microsoft talk AI and topple Apple, making them the world’s biggest public company
Microsoft shares were up 3% last week while Apple’s were down by 3%, enough of a tip to put neck-and-neck Microsoft over the top
New Launch
Apple Vision Pro - in store and available online from February 2, 2024
Apple's 'next big thing' broke cover in June 2023, now its launch date is set and you've a little less than a month so save up that $3,499…
Power To The People
US iPhone users receive surprise free cash in Apple 'batterygate' law suit success
Users of certain iPhones who signed up to a class action lawsuit have begun getting their share of the winnings, while Apple remains stoically silent
App Authority
Japanese legislation looks to confront Apple and Google monopolies in 2024
New regulations could require both Apple and Google to allow alternate billing systems
Cma Concerns
UK's CMA to resume cloud gaming and mobile web browser investigation
Investigations into Apple and Google will resume on January 24 2024
Legacy Leak
Apple TestFlight "teraleak" exposes thousands of beta apps as far back as 2012
TestFlight is designed to enable internal and external beta testing on Apple devices
Hot Five
Hot Five: MyGamez raises $1.6m, Peak soft launches Star Match, and Monster Hunter Now hits $100m
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Data Decisions
Apple’s privacy push continues with big implications come "Spring 2024"
Developers must be ready for Apple’s privacy manifest requirements and third-part SDK policy changes
About Apple Ads
Apple Search Ads and SKAdNetwork make waves as marketing attributions rise 55% in two years
Kochava’s State of Mobile Measurement 2023 report reveals how the landscape has changed since ATT
Apple Picking
Apple unveils App Store Award winners. These are the best apps and games of 2023
It's that time again. After picking its shortlist last month, Apple now reveal which games and apps have come out on top for 2023
Awards
Apple announce App Store Awards 2023 finalists
37 games, apps and developers have been shortlisted with the winners in 10 categories announced later this month. Here's who's made the cut
Epic Vs Google
Game on: The Epic vs Google antitrust trial is officially underway
Epic is taking on Google regarding it's ongoing quest against the big mobile gatekeeper's App Store fees and monopolies
Dirty Deals?
Apple sacks App Store staff in China over potential deals with game developers
Free meals, nightclub outings and more were offered to iOS app store staff
China Vs Apple
Tim Cook makes a surprise appearance at Chinese Honor of Kings tournament
The unexpected live appearance comes amid a turbulent period for Apple’s relations with China
Done Deal
Microsoft's mobile mishaps: Why the Activision Blizzard deal had to happen
The tech giant has had a troubled history on mobile. Could gaming's biggest ever deal finally put right their wrongs?
Green Gaming
Tencent, Apple, Ubisoft, and Nintendo lead the industry in carbon emission reduction
The games industry is slowly going green, but still emitted 81 million tonnes of greenhouse gases last year
Two Tactics
Too big for your rules? miHoYo tried to dodge Apple App Store fees twice in one month
Apple has scuppered miHoYo’s fee aversion tactics twice - removing apps and disabling features
Regulation
Apple and Google could be on the hook for $50.5 million fine in Korea
The KCC has sought remediation after accusing the two companies of anti-competitive practices on mobile
Ai Ahoy
"Pegasus" engine may bring generative AI to Apple App Store searches
Big changes could be ahead with the implementation of a search engine developed by a former Google exec and his team
An Apple A Day
Apple's App Store steps into line to comply with Chinese regulations
The company has previously come under fire for the Chinese government, but it appears it's ready to play ball
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news, including console games going mobile, Final Fantasy villains, making games accessible and intrinsic advertising
Court Case
Epic Games appeals to US Supreme Court in Apple antitrust case
The years-long case continues with arguments over pro- and anticompetitiveness
Chinese App Market
Apple isn’t complying with China’s new app store regulations
The Cyberspace Administration of China has named 26 app stores complying with its new rules
Prices
Console price for console quality: Resident Evil 4 to be $60 on iOS
The game is set to emulate previous ‘lite’ versions
Iphone 15
Apple's iPhone 15 is out today: What's new and what's the verdict?
The iPhone 15's power could be a game changer with the ability to bring high end games to mobile for the first time
Apple App Store
Apple allows developers to offer regional pre-orders for games
The change means that games can be pre-ordered when launching across different markets
Gaming In China
miHoYo and NetEase block Alipay payments on iOS
iOS users were also banned from recharging via Alipay
New Release
Backbone announces universal USB-C compatibility for future joypad models
The gaming peripheral is hoping to break barriers in mobile gaming
Iphone 15 Reveal
“iPhone is the best mobile gaming platform in the world”
So says Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing Greg Joswiak as he turns to gaming to show off the real power of iPhone 15 Pro
Chinese Restrictions
China bans iPhones and other foreign-branded mobile phones for government officials
The move appears carefully timed, impacting Apple's share price pre-iPhone 15 reveal
Changes Ahoy
Former PlayStation president Shawn Layden predicts the end of gaming as we know it
Does the games industry stand on the precipice of change?
Bond, James Bond
"The only Bond game available for mobile" lands on Apple Arcade
Four new games and 40+ updates are coming to the service this month including Tilting Point's James Bond exclusive
Samsung Vs Apple
Samsung has sold over one billion more smartphones than Apple in the past 10 years
However, Apple are fighting back, being the dominant player in the space in July 2023
Apple Vs Epic
The US Supreme Court sides with Apple in its ongoing battle with Epic
The court has decided to block a federal injunction that would have forced Apple to change its payment practices
Subscription Success
Paid subscriptions redeem Apple’s Q3 after hardware sales fall
Apple’s Q3 2023 sees 1% revenue fall but surpasses 1 billion paid subscriptions
Google Goes Blockchain
Inside Google’s blockchain content policy
The tech giant has recently revealed its policy on in-app blockchain and NFT and commentators are digging deep as to what it all means
Apple V Epic
Epic Games appeals to the US Supreme Court in latest Apple legal clash
The move follows Apple’s own appeal filing earlier this month as Epic seek to make a 2021 ruling stick
Privacy
Apple enters the ATT endgame as its quest for privacy enters its final battle
Now they'll require developers to explain their use of certain APIs with non-compliant apps rejected by App Store Connects from Spring 2024
Data.ai Report
In-app spending hit a record $67.5 billion in the first half of 2023
Mobile spend has returned to growth following declines in 2022
Data Privacy
French regulators call out Apple’s ATT
The iPhone and iOS owner may be in hot water from European regulators
Apple Vs. Consumers
Apple's "anti-competitive" App Store woes continue with a $1 billion class action lawsuit
The suit accuses the company of acting anti-competitively with its imposition of a 30% fee on in-app purchases
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news including the launch of Threads, authorities caught on with their hand in the till and Vision Pro woes…
Legislation
Google, Apple and others now have six months to comply with new digital markets rules
The Digital Markets Act in the EU will see digital “gatekeepers” forced to adhere to new rules
Production
Apple scales back production of highly-anticipated Vision Pro headset
Issues relating to the supply chain and concerns over quality may lead to a significant cut to the originally proposed one million unit production run
Legislation
Apple to ask US Supreme Court to overturn Epic ruling
The company ask Supreme Court to consider Ninth Circuit ruling
Alternative App Stores
Meta to get into the app store game as Facebook allows app downloads
The EU's Digital Markets Act is opening up app store monopolys and big players are getting ready to reap the rewards