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Epic Games CEO sees Apple’s App Store business as ‘the most uneven in the history’ – 9to5Mac

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Apple has been facing accusations of anticompetitive practices as the U.S. House Judiciary Committee investigates the company for potential antitrust concerns mostly related to the App Store. Following Tim Cook’s testimony at a public hearing this week, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney criticized Apple claiming the company imposes unfair conditions on developers.

Sweeney said in an interview with Bloomberg that he tried to contact Apple several times about the App Store subscription model, but the company denied all requests. He also mentions that Epic Games reached out to Apple to ask about the possibility of launching Epic Games Store on iOS, but Apple lawyers sent a letter refusing the request.

That’s in no way an acceptable situation for a platform for a billion users. […] And you know these are disingenuous arguments. They’re aimed at supporting unfair business practices.

Epic Games is the company behind the popular game Fortnite. When asked about Google’s relationship with developers, Sweeney says that although the company has some similar practices with the Play Store, users can install apps from different sources on Android. “Apple’s playing field is the most uneven in the history of technology products,” he said.

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The CEO of Epic Games also argues that Apple imposes anti-competitive practices by not letting developers create apps that compete with other apps created by Apple. “They have rules that outright say you cannot build software that competes with the categories of Apple apps which we do as a key to our platform,” Sweeney defends.

Apple takes 30% of any transaction made within its own App Store system. This includes sold apps, in-app purchases, and subscriptions. After some developers accused Apple of abusive and anti-competitive practices, the company reduced its commission to 15% when the user is paying for the subscription for more than one year.

Tim Cook said during the hearing this week that Apple’s commission is fair as it helps the company maintain the entire App Store platform. Apple’s CEO also suggested that unsatisfied users can migrate to Android. With more developers criticizing Apple’s platform, it seems that this antitrust discussion is just beginning.

You can watch the full interview on Bloomberg’s website.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

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Meta Expands VR Operating System to Third-Party Hardware Makers – MacRumors

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Facebook parent company Meta today announced the upcoming expansion of Meta Horizon OS, a virtual and augmented reality operating system that will be available to third-party hardware manufacturers that want to design their own headsets.


Right now, Meta sells the Quest line of headsets, but the company wants to provide the software for third-party VR and AR products in the future, much like Microsoft offers Windows for all manner of third-party PCs.

Meta Horizon OS is the mixed reality operating system that Meta created for its own Quest headsets, and it has support for eye, face, hand, and body tracking along with passthrough, spatial anchors, scene understanding, and other features. There is a “social layer” that will allow the identities, avatars, and friends of users to move between virtual spaces on different devices.

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According to Meta, multiple companies are working on devices that will use Meta Horizon OS. ASUS ROG is developing a performance gaming headset and Lenovo is working on mixed reality devices for productivity, learning, and entertainment. Meta says that it is also creating a limited edition version of Meta Quest in partnership with Xbox.

With the expansion of Meta Horizon OS to third-party hardware manufacturers, Meta is making it easier for any developer to ship VR software on the platform by removing barriers between the Horizon Store and App Lab.

By creating an operating system that can be used by other hardware manufacturers, Meta is inserting itself into the growing AR/VR ecosystem and creating opportunities for it to outpace Apple in mixed reality development. Apple launched the Vision Pro headset earlier this year, but software is lacking given the high price and limited distribution of the device.

According to a report from earlier today, interest in the Vision Pro is already waning at Apple’s retail locations with fewer people requesting demos.

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Brian's Randoms from Sea Otter 2024 – Pinkbike.com

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There have been more launches in the past two weeks than any other two-week period I can remember since I started sweeping floors at Freedom Bike Shop back in 2001. Yes, that means I’m very old. It also means that after several years of delayed product releases, some brands have finally cleared out enough inventory to share what they’ve been working on.

The Pinkbike team came down to Sea Otter this year with mixed expectations, and there were definitely some weird vibes. Everyone is concerned for the remaining Kona employees, and more than one brand expressed that their plan is to #surviveto2025. But overall we loved catching up with everyone, the weather was great, and somehow there was even more gear to cover. The industry might be going through a tough time, but ultimately riding bikes is still ridiculously fun and bike tech is as interesting as ever.

And on that note, here are a few of the random things that caught my eye during the show.

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OutsideBrendan works smarter not harder, and dog Bubbie(?) is awesome.



I mistakenly thought it was a garage project kind of thing, but it’s a real brand with a promo video and everything.





And with that, it’s time to face my expense report. Until next year, Sea Otter!

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We tried these three beauty products this week. Here are our thoughts – Vancouver Sun

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Article content

Skin Caviar Eye Lift Serum

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They say: A luxury serum that firms, smooths and lifts the eye area. The dual-chamber product features the Swiss skin-care brand’s Cellular Complex to ‘restore youthfulness to the eye contour,’ along with a blend of caviar components.

We say: Our tester applied one pump of this serum to the eye area daily. Gently dabbed onto skin, the serum gave an instant boost of hydration. The liquid-serum formula was lightweight and non-sticky, providing an easy base for any additional skin-care or makeup products. With use, our tester reported fine lines and firmness were noticeably improved.

Article content

$760 | Holt Renfrew, holtrenfrew.com

Marc Anthony

Strictly Curls Curl Envy Leave-In Conditioner

They say: A leave-in hair conditioner formulated for curly hair. Boasting strand-smoothing ingredients such as avocado oil, Vitamin E and shea butter, the spray can be used on course, fine, thick or thin curls to promote softness, fight frizz and lock in hydration.

We say: Our tester spritzed this conditioner on her ultra-curly, frizz prone coif. The spray format makes application easy and mess-free. Used both as a de-tangler on freshly washed hair and as a curl pick-me-up in between washes, she found it left curls looking formed, smooth and not stiff.

$12.97 | Mass retailers, walmart.ca

Three buzzed-about beauty products we tried this week.

Ghlee

Lip Balm 

They say: A nourishing lip balm that features antioxidant-rich ghee, along with mango seed butter and Vitamin E to hydrate lips. Available in Original, Rose, Chai, Mango-Papaya and Mint.

We say: This lip balm gives a dose of smoothing hydration with one swipe. Our tester loved the rose iteration, which boasted the scent of a fresh bloom. It’s the kind of balm you keep reaching for in your bag, she reports.

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