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Businesses IOS Apple Games

Apple's App Store Rules Limit Rival Gaming Services While Arcade Runs Free (bloomberg.com) 40

Posted by msmash from the not-on-my-watch dept.
Video-game fans suddenly have their pick of a huge menu of titles thanks to a raft of new mobile subscription services from Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet's Google and Nvidia. But for the more than 1 billion users of Apple's iPhone and iPad, the only real option is Arcade, the subscription service launched by the company in September. From a report: That's because Apple imposes strict limits on the kinds of apps users can access on its devices. For example, App Store guidelines ban services that rely on streaming from the cloud. Arcade adheres to the requirements, in part, because it's included as a feature within the App Store itself. This is the latest example of what critics say are arbitrary rules favoring Apple's own apps at the expense of similar software from outside developers. "There's a fraught relationship between developers and Apple precisely because of rules like this," said David Barnard, a longtime independent developer and advocate at RevenueCat. "In some ways, I am incredibly grateful to their marketplace for helping me make millions of dollars I wouldn't have made without it. On the flip side, them being so heavy handed at times does kill apps and does cause developers to miss out on other potential revenue." If software developers want to reach as many consumers as possible, they have to be on Apple's iOS. The operating system powers more than 1 billion smartphones and tablets and it's the only way to access the iOS App Store, which accounted for 65% of app spending globally last year, according to Sensor Tower. The Cupertino, California-based company can also make or break mobile gaming businesses: More than half of the $62 billion spent on smartphone gaming last year happened on Apple products.
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Apple's App Store Rules Limit Rival Gaming Services While Arcade Runs Free More

Apple's App Store Rules Limit Rival Gaming Services While Arcade Runs Free

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  • Apple Arcade doesn't run "free", it runs "without a competitor".

    • And it runs ... a prison.

      By the way, has anyone tried selling prison sentences as convenience that makes your life simple? Seems to work, as long as you decorate them in milk glass and massively overprice then.

      • And it runs ... a prison.

        As soon as it is mandated that you purchase Apple gear only, or that you cannot develop for the mobile platform that everyone here says has the overwhelming marketshare (and thus the greatest sales potential, right?); THEN, and only then can you rightfully make comparisons to a prison.

        Until then, you are free to simply ignore Apple; just like anyone else.

  • "For example, App Store guidelines ban services that rely on streaming from the cloud."

    Maybe I am misinterpreting this, but does that mean that there is no Netflix, Hulu or other streaming services in the app store?

  • Not really a problem. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by gillbates ( 106458 ) on Wednesday March 25, 2020 @09:36AM (#59869920) Homepage Journal

    Apple is an inequality symbol.

    You buy an Apple product not to have a better experience than others, but to show people you have more money than they do. You want a walled garden. You don't want to have to make choices - you just want something that's "good enough", and doesn't require too much critical thinking - IOW, the American Way(tm).

    Apple haters really don't get it. Apple isn't trying to make the best product, but the coolest.

    • You buy an Apple product not to have a better experience than others, but to show people you have more money than they do. You want a walled garden. You don't want to have to make choices - you just want something that's "good enough", and doesn't require too much critical thinking - IOW, the American Way(tm).

      I wanted a smartphone that not only works and does what I need it to, but that is also secure and is supported for a long time.

      What other handset manufacturer will provide me with prompt security updates and bug fixes, and I don't have to buy a new handset if I want to run the newest OS (Apple supports their iPhone for up to 5 years with free OS upgrades)? Plus, if I have any problems with my iPhone, I can just walk down the street to the nearest Apple store for help or warranty repair.

    • I got an iPhone 6s because it was vastly cheaper than the Android options (the iphone 9 was current a the time I think). Also, the current android phones were going to throught a "bigger is better" phase and I wanted a phone that could fit into my pocket without having to get clown pants. Pre-paid plan at at&t also cut the monthly price down tremendously, whereas all the current models had much higher monthly fees. So ya, I got the iPhone to save a whole lotta money!

      And my iPad was free in a raffle so

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by 605dave ( 722736 )

      Yup you nailed it. I don't buy Apple products that I find are the best tools for my jobs (even with some of the issues like this), I buy them because I am a rich snob and an idiot. Thank god smarter people like you can lecture me on what the best choice for me is, since you obviously know what what is best for everyone. I am sure I could program iOS and Android apps, do video editing and music production, and communicate securely with family and colleagues (among many other things) just as easily on another

      • Thank god smarter people like you can lecture me on what the best choice for me is, since you obviously know what what is best for everyone.

        Even better - the smarter people at Apple know what's best for you! And even if they don't, you do as Apple says with Apple products. That's kind of the point - if I have more money than common sense, I can outsource decision making to Apple. Sure, I might not get everything I want, but at least I won't have to think about it.

        As much as people would like think

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by 605dave ( 722736 )

          You keep talking in generalities. I have lots of options and achieve every task I want to. Give me a concrete set of apps on a platform that do that tasks that I listed. You can't. For my needs the Apple platform is best for me.

          How do you know people don't get everything they want? Do YOU edit video? If so which system do you use? Do YOU record multitrack audio sessions? If so which system do you use? How about iOS and Android development. Do YOU do either of those things. If so what is your setup since it

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Dog-Cow ( 21281 )

      Have you ever considered not being a jealous loser who has to puff himself up by ascribing motives to other people?

      • Have you ever considered not being a jealous loser who has to puff himself up by ascribing motives to other people?

        Once. But it felt awkward, so I stopped.

        Sarcasm aside, I could have just as easily replaced You with People in the original post and retained the intended meaning. I can only wonder how paranoid you must be if you believe I personally know what Dog-Cow is thinking, and let him know this by posting on ./

  • Antitrust issue!

  • what about video streaming? (Score:3)

    by mr.dreadful ( 758768 ) on Wednesday March 25, 2020 @09:48AM (#59869948)
    Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc. are all streaming services. If Apple tried to block them, there would be serious questions about if they were trying to protect Apple+, so why is gaming different?

    • Gaming has always been weird, or at least on the consoles side of thing. Exclusivity deals are the norm, subscriptions required to get patches or play multiplayer, phone-home required for single player games, etc. It has started to infecct the PC world too; exclusivity showing up there with Epic, and requiring Microsoft Account for some Windows 10 "XBox" features (at Microsoft, "XBox" is synonymous with games even on PCs). I suspect it is 100% about marketing, getting your info so you can be shown more a

    • Video streaming across the board is being limited by everybody... we're in a bandwidth crunch right now. Trump says we'll be better by Easter.

  • âoe"In some ways, I am incredibly grateful to their marketplace for helping me make millions of dollars I wouldn't have made without it. â

    Sounds like whatever âoerestrictionsâ there are, they donâ(TM)t seem to be hampering your income.

    How long would it take you to make âoemillionsâ on the Google Play Store? Or Steam? Or...?

    Bottom line: Appleâ(TM)s Store; Appleâ(TM)s Rules. Donâ(TM)t like it? Go write for another platform. Your millions will surely start to r

  • This is the same model that Microsoft used for decades, only without the need for lawyers. Microsoft had lousy innovation, but, they would see what companies were successful and then of course do the EEE. Apple lost innovation with Jobs. He was not an engineer, BUT, he was a great 'futurist' if you will. He could see things that were needed and pursue them.

    Problem is, that Cook is NOT much of an engineer. He is more MBA, so a real lack of innovation/imagination.

  • Time for the government to stomp on them like they did Microsoft.

  • Phones have huge potential as a platform but are limited because they are locked down.

  • If I wanted to run whatever from whomever, I would buy an Android phone. I LIKE having a town policeman, thanks.

    Just make web based games if you want.

  • It seems as if the headlines and reporting for Apple news recently has been either ridiculously slanted or bereft of key contextual information.

    For instance, a few days ago we heard that, to the surprise of no one at all given the current state of the world, you currently can't pick up devices you left for repairs at Apple stores [slashdot.org] because, ya know, there's a pandemic. The summary made it sound like this was an Apple-specific issue, but as the comments were quick to point out, it actually applies equally as w

    • It seems as if the headlines and reporting for Apple news recently has been either ridiculously slanted or bereft of key contextual information.

      You must be new here.

      In your sentence, replace the "Recently has been" with "is always".

      This is Slashdot. If it is Apple, it must be "bad" in some way or another.

      • I should have said "especially slanted" instead of "ridiculously slanted". Just feels like it's been a bit more than the usual torrent as of late, almost as if people are going to greater than the usual lengths to try and misconstrue things.

        Again, Apple has its warts and deserves to be called out on them, so I am NOT trying to let them off the hook for those. I simply want them (and everyone else, for that matter) to get a fair shake with regards to the necessary facts being presented.

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