Microsoft makes case against Apple with filing in support of Fortnite maker Epic Games

Phil Spencer, head of Xbox at Microsoft, at a 2019 Xbox E3 Briefing at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (Microsoft Photo)

For the second time this month, Microsoft is speaking out publicly against Apple’s actions toward third-party developers, making a statement of support for Epic’s Unreal Engine in the game technology company’s lawsuit against the iPad and iPhone maker.

Microsoft filed a statement in federal court in California over the weekend, after Epic accused Apple of threatening to revoke its access to its Apple developer accounts and tools. It’s the latest twist in a larger dispute over the Fortnite maker’s use of an in-app currency system that sidestepped Apple’s traditional payment mechanism and the accompanying 30% fee.

Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, said on Twitter over the weekend that ensuring Epic has access to the latest Apple technology is “the right thing” for gamers and the industry.

Today we filed a statement in support of Epic’s request to keep access to the Apple SDK for its Unreal Engine. Ensuring that Epic has access to the latest Apple technology is the right thing for gamer developers & gamers https://t.co/72bLdDkvUx

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) August 23, 2020

Microsoft’s court filing explained the company’s position in detail.

“Denying Epic access to Apple’s SDK and other development tools will prevent Epic from supporting Unreal Engine on iOS and macOS, and will place Unreal Engine and those game creators that have built, are building, and may build games on it at a substantial disadvantage,” wrote Kevin Gammill, Microsoft’s general manager for Gaming Developer Experiences, in the company’s declaration.

He continued, “If Unreal Engine cannot support games for iOS or macOS, Microsoft would be required to choose between abandoning its  customers and potential customers on the iOS and macOS platforms or choosing a different game engine when preparing to develop new games.

“Because iOS is a large and growing market for games, Apple’s discontinuation of Unreal Engine’s ability to support iOS will be a material disadvantage for the Unreal Engine in future decisions by Microsoft and other game creators as to the choice of an  engine for new games.”

Microsoft previously spoke out against Apple’s App Store policies, saying it would not be able to bring its game subscription services to Apple devices because of the associated rules and restrictions.

View the original article here

from WordPress https://cybersonday689753477.wordpress.com/2020/09/14/microsoft-makes-case-against-apple-with-filing-in-support-of-fortnite-maker-epic-games/

Microsoft slams Apple in new statement about xCloud and App Store policies

(Photo by Casey Rodgers/Invision for Xbox/AP Images)

Microsoft issued a statement Thursday evening calling out Apple for its App Store policies amid a controversy over the Redmond, Wash. tech giant’s new cloud gaming service.

Microsoft terminated its xCloud game streaming test on iOS on Wednesday after announcing the xCloud app will only be launching on Android devices in September.

At the time, Microsoft did not provide an explanation for why its iOS test ended early. But now the company is making its stance known. Here’s the full statement:

“Our testing period for the Project xCloud preview app for iOS has expired. Unfortunately, we do not have a path to bring our vision of cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to gamers on iOS via the Apple App Store. Apple stands alone as the only general purpose platform to deny consumers from cloud gaming and game subscription services like Xbox Game Pass. And it consistently treats gaming apps differently, applying more lenient rules to non-gaming apps even when they include interactive content. All games available in the Xbox Game Pass catalog are rated for content by independent industry ratings bodies such as the ESRB and regional equivalents. We are committed to finding a path to bring cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to the iOS platform. We believe that the customer should be at the heart of the gaming experience and gamers tell us they want to play, connect and share anywhere, no matter where they are. We agree.” – Microsoft spokesperson

Earlier on Thursday, Apple told Business Insider that the reason for not allowing xCloud on the App Store is related to not being able to review each game.

Not having xCloud available to iOS users would be a big roadblock for Microsoft’s cloud gaming ambitions. The service, similar to Google’s Stadia offering, lets users play high-powered Xbox games such as Halo on their smartphones.

Microsoft has criticized Apple for the tight control it exercises over its App Store. Microsoft President Brad Smith told Politico in June that the time has come “for a much more focused conversation about the nature of app stores, the rules that are being put in place, the prices and tolls that are being extracted, and whether there is really a justification in antitrust law for everything that has been created.”

Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked to testify before Congress last week on antitrust issues along with the chief executives of Amazon, Facebook, and Google. Cook was grilled on Apple’s decision to remove screen time and parental control apps from its App Store, just after the tech giant released its own competing feature as part of iOS 12.

Apple has its own gaming subscription service called Apple Arcade.

The Information reported that Microsoft’s Smith advised the House antitrust subcommittee on competition in the tech industry and took the opportunity to call out Apple’s current practices.

The House subcommittee did not ask Microsoft to testify at the hearing; the company has largely escaped the antitrust scrutiny its peers are experiencing, having faced its own investigation in the late 1990s and early 2000s. But Microsoft’s bid for the wildly popular social media app TikTok could put the company back in the hot seat.

View the original article here

from WordPress https://cybersonday689753477.wordpress.com/2020/08/26/microsoft-slams-apple-in-new-statement-about-xcloud-and-app-store-policies/

Watch: Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google CEOs testify before Congress in historic antitrust hearing

The top executives at four of the world’s largest and most powerful technology companies are testifying Wednesday before Congress in the culmination of a year-long antitrust inquiry.

The House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust arm will grill Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, and Google’s Sundar Pichai on the power their companies wield in the tech sector.

“Our founders would not bow before a king nor should we bow before the emperors of a digital economy,” said Rep. David Cicilline, chair of the antitrust subcommittee, in opening remarks.

The executives are testifying remotely due to the ongoing coronavirus threat, creating a different dynamic than the blockbuster hearings of the past, like Zuckerberg’s testimony on election interference in 2018. Cicilline reminded the CEOs that they are not allowed to take input from their teams during testimony, but it isn’t clear how or if the committee is enforcing that rule.

Early questioning focused on Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram, Apple’s treatment of third-party app developers, and Google’s dominance in search. More than an hour into the hearing, lawmakers still hadn’t posed any questions to Bezos, even though it is the Amazon chief’s first time testifying before Congress.

After nearly two hours, the first question for Bezos came from Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington who represents Amazon’s hometown, Seattle.

“The issue that we’re concerned with here his very simple,” she said. “You have access to data that far exceeds the sellers on your platform with whom you compete … you have access to the entirety of sellers’ pricing and inventory — information past, present, and future — and you dictate the participation of third-party sellers on your platform, so you can set the rules of the game for your competitors but not follow those rules yourself. Do you think that’s fair to the mom and pop businesses who can sell on your platform?”

Underlying Jayapal’s line of questioning is a Wall Street Journal investigation from April that found Amazon uses detailed data on third-party sellers in its marketplace to inform the development of in-house products.

Bezos said Amazon has a policy prohibiting such use of seller data but, “I can’t guarantee you that that policy has never been violated.”

Jayapal was following up on testimony that Amazon attorney Nate Sutton gave one year ago before the same committee claiming the company does not use individual seller data to inform its private-label product strategy.

Jayapal also grilled Zuckerberg on its acquisition strategy, accusing Facebook of threatening to copy Instagram and Snapchat while in discussions about buying them.

“You’ve used Facebook’s power to threaten smaller competitors and ensure that you always get your way,” she said. “These tactics increase your dominance … Facebook’s model makes it impossible for new companies to flourish successfully.”

Zuckerberg said he did not remember threatening competitors and defended the practice of developing features that consumers were demanding at the time.

Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon raised a controversial price war between Amazon and Diapers.com that ultimately ended in Amazon acquiring the competitor’s parent company and then shutting it down. Scanlon claimed Amazon lowered prices on diapers to drive the competitor out of business and then raised them when the competitive threat was eliminated.

“I don’t remember that at all,” Bezos said. “What I remember is that we matched competitor prices.”

The long-awaited hearing comes as the companies in question field investigations into alleged anti-competitive behavior from regulators in the United States and abroad.

The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice have divvied up the four companies as they investigate whether antitrust law has been violated. The House began its own inquiry a year ago and several states are also looking into the dominance of the nation’s largest tech companies.

We’ll be following along and updating this story throughout the day. Check back for highlights and analysis from the historic hearing and read prepared remarks from Bezos, Cook, Zuckerberg, and Pichai.

View the original article here

from WordPress https://cybersonday689753477.wordpress.com/2020/08/07/watch-amazon-apple-facebook-and-google-ceos-testify-before-congress-in-historic-antitrust-hearing-2/

Watch: Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google CEOs testify before Congress in historic antitrust hearing

The top executives at four of the world’s largest and most powerful technology companies are testifying Wednesday before Congress in the culmination of a year-long antitrust inquiry.

The House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust arm will grill Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, and Google’s Sundar Pichai on the power their companies wield in the tech sector.

“Our founders would not bow before a king nor should we bow before the emperors of a digital economy,” said Rep. David Cicilline, chair of the antitrust subcommittee, in opening remarks.

The executives are testifying remotely due to the ongoing coronavirus threat, creating a different dynamic than the blockbuster hearings of the past, like Zuckerberg’s testimony on election interference in 2018. Cicilline reminded the CEOs that they are not allowed to take input from their teams during testimony, but it isn’t clear how or if the committee is enforcing that rule.

Early questioning focused on Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram, Apple’s treatment of third-party app developers, and Google’s dominance in search. More than an hour into the hearing, lawmakers still hadn’t posed any questions to Bezos, even though it is the Amazon chief’s first time testifying before Congress.

After nearly two hours, the first question for Bezos came from Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington who represents Amazon’s hometown, Seattle.

“The issue that we’re concerned with here his very simple,” she said. “You have access to data that far exceeds the sellers on your platform with whom you compete … you have access to the entirety of sellers’ pricing and inventory — information past, present, and future — and you dictate the participation of third-party sellers on your platform, so you can set the rules of the game for your competitors but not follow those rules yourself. Do you think that’s fair to the mom and pop businesses who can sell on your platform?”

Underlying Jayapal’s line of questioning is a Wall Street Journal investigation from April that found Amazon uses detailed data on third-party sellers in its marketplace to inform the development of in-house products.

Bezos said Amazon has a policy prohibiting such use of seller data but, “I can’t guarantee you that that policy has never been violated.”

Jayapal was following up on testimony that Amazon attorney Nate Sutton gave one year ago before the same committee claiming the company does not use individual seller data to inform its private-label product strategy.

Jayapal also grilled Zuckerberg on its acquisition strategy, accusing Facebook of threatening to copy Instagram and Snapchat while in discussions about buying them.

“You’ve used Facebook’s power to threaten smaller competitors and ensure that you always get your way,” she said. “These tactics increase your dominance … Facebook’s model makes it impossible for new companies to flourish successfully.”

Zuckerberg said he did not remember threatening competitors and defended the practice of developing features that consumers were demanding at the time.

Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon raised a controversial price war between Amazon and Diapers.com that ultimately ended in Amazon acquiring the competitor’s parent company and then shutting it down. Scanlon claimed Amazon lowered prices on diapers to drive the competitor out of business and then raised them when the competitive threat was eliminated.

“I don’t remember that at all,” Bezos said. “What I remember is that we matched competitor prices.”

The long-awaited hearing comes as the companies in question field investigations into alleged anti-competitive behavior from regulators in the United States and abroad.

The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice have divvied up the four companies as they investigate whether antitrust law has been violated. The House began its own inquiry a year ago and several states are also looking into the dominance of the nation’s largest tech companies.

We’ll be following along and updating this story throughout the day. Check back for highlights and analysis from the historic hearing and read prepared remarks from Bezos, Cook, Zuckerberg, and Pichai.

View the original article here

from WordPress https://cybersonday689753477.wordpress.com/2020/08/01/watch-amazon-apple-facebook-and-google-ceos-testify-before-congress-in-historic-antitrust-hearing/

Antitrust hearing with CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google will likely be delayed

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos speaking at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. (Economic Club of Washington, D.C. Photo / Gary Cameron)

A hotly anticipated House antitrust hearing with the CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google set for Monday will likely be delayed according to reports from CNBC, The Verge, and Axios.

The hearing is expected to be postponed due to memorial services for the late Rep. John Lewis next week. The civil rights champion will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol and a ceremony is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sundar Pichai were set to testify Monday before the House antitrust subcommittee on market dominance in the tech sector, the culmination of an inquiry into the companies they run that has lasted for more than a year. It is not clear when the new hearing date will be scheduled but Axios reports the committee is looking at the week of August 3.

The executives are expected to attend the hearing via video call due to the ongoing public health risk. It will be the first time all four CEOs have appeared together to address concerns about anti-competitive behavior in the tech industry. It will also be the first time Bezos testifies before Congress. The four tech giants are under antitrust scrutiny from several government entities in the U.S. and abroad.

View the original article here

from WordPress https://cybersonday689753477.wordpress.com/2020/07/26/antitrust-hearing-with-ceos-of-amazon-apple-facebook-google-will-likely-be-delayed/

Microsoft president reportedly took aim at Apple in private interview with House antitrust committee

Microsoft President Brad Smith speaking at Seattle’s Town Hall in September. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota)

Microsoft President Brad Smith advised a House antitrust subcommittee on competition in the tech industry during a private interview, The Information learned this week.

The discussion primarily focused on Microsoft’s own experience in the antitrust hot seat 20 years ago, but Smith also took the opportunity to call out Apple’s current practices, according to the report.

Smith shared concerns Microsoft has raised publicly about how much power Apple wields over software developers in the App Store. Smith said previously that requirements app stores enforce — including which apps are permitted and how much they have to pay to play — is worse than the behavior that landed Microsoft in hot water decades ago.

The House antitrust subcommittee interviewed Smith in preparation for a hearing Monday with the CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook. The subcommittee is one of several government entities examining anti-competitive behavior in the technology industry.

Celebrate the leading innovators, entrepreneurs, and technologists at the 2020 GeekWire Awards, livestreaming on GeekWire.com starting at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 23. 

Don’t miss one of the region’s most-anticipated and hotly-contested tech events. 

Thanks to presenting sponsor Wave Business for supporting us as we’ve transitioned to a virtual event. 

Register today

View the original article here

from WordPress https://cybersonday689753477.wordpress.com/2020/07/22/microsoft-president-reportedly-took-aim-at-apple-in-private-interview-with-house-antitrust-committee/

iPad y Apple Watch ¿una relación imposible?

El Apple Watch supuso una revolución para el mercado de los relojes inteligentes. Tanto que, a día de hoy, es el smartwatch más vendido en el mercado y es raro ver a alguien con uno de estos dispositivos de otra marca. La pregunta de muchos usuarios es ¿puedo usarlo con cualquier equipo? Para comprobar esto, hoy vamos a intentar usar un Apple Watch con un iPad.

El reloj inteligente de Apple, sea cual sea la generación que tengas en tu poder, se trata de un dispositivo que nos aporta muchas funcionalidades que nos facilitarán el día a día. Se ha convertido en un accesorio para realizar deporte, una agenda portátil o, incluso, un mini teléfono en miniatura con el que podremos realizar llamadas (aunque de esto ahora hablaremos con mayor detenimiento). Una serie de tareas que ayudarán como aliciente en su compra. Pero ¿Puedo usar un Apple Watch sin tener un iPhone? La respuesta corta es que no. Te explicamos los motivos a continuación.

Una vez compramos y sacamos este reloj inteligente de su caja, nos pide directamente que lo vinculemos con la aplicación de «Watch». Una app que, si buscamos dentro de la App Store de iPadOS o MacOS no encontraremos. Es más, este software lo tendremos preinstalado en cualquiera de los iPhone que podemos comprar actualmente. Con la aplicación de Watch podremos iniciar nuestro nuevo reloj y realizar las configuraciones iniciales del mismo.

Una vez que ya tengamos este dispositivo iniciado es cierto que podremos usarlo con independencia de nuestro teléfono en función del modelo que tengamos y de la tarea que queramos realizar. Podremos hacer deporte con él sin llevar un iPhone con nosotros, ya que, desde el series 2 estos equipos disponen de GPS integrado. Tendremos acceso a las tareas que ya hayamos creado en el calendario y cualquier otra tarea que se haya sincronizado previa a la desconexión de nuestro iPhone.

Si bien existen un par de modelos de este reloj inteligente que son, en parte, más independientes que el resto. Desde el Apple Watch series 4 podremos adquirir este dispositivo en su versión LTE ¿qué significa esto? Que este equipo dispondrá de su propia conexión a internet con independencia de la propia conectividad de un iPhone o de la señal de Wifi. Por lo tanto, a las acciones que podías realizar con él sin un teléfono hay que sumarle la capacidad de recibir notificaciones o realizar y recibir llamadas de manera totalmente independiente. Eso sí, seguirás necesitando un iPhone para realizar la configuración inicial de este equipo.

Apple parece que no quiere que su reloj inteligente deje de ser un accesorio para convertirse en un dispositivo totalmente independiente. Aunque poco a poco van añadiendo funcionalidades que permiten mayor libertad con él.

Quién sabe si en el futurible Apple Watch series 6, además de un cambio en el diseño que muchos usuarios solicitan, la compañía opta por abrir más las funcionalidades de este equipo. El primer paso, y el más clave, sería que permitieran que su configuración inicial no dependa de un teléfono, al menos para aquellos que adquieran la versión LTE que nos permite disponer de casi todas las posibilidades de este gracias a la conectividad.

¿Y tú?¿Qué esperas del próximo modelo del reloj inteligente de Apple? Déjanos un comentario con tu apuesta de novedades.

View the original article here

from WordPress https://cybersonday689753477.wordpress.com/2020/05/30/ipad-y-apple-watch-una-relacion-imposible/