Adam Kos It may seem like the same thing, but it is quite interesting to see who all wanted relief from Apple from its 30% commission, which it takes for the distribution of content in its App Store. The fact that even the giant Microsoft sought to achieve this results from materials documenting e-mail communication, which are part of the Epic Games vs. Apple. The email thread dates back to 2012 and revolves around the launch of Microsoft Office for iPad. According to CNBC, Apple has asked Microsoft if it wants to attend WWDC this year. Microsoft declined to do so, citing that it was not ready to talk about its plans for the iPad. It proves, however, that Apple has no problem cooperating with competing companies that bring their solutions to its platform, when it also offers them a crucial space for presentation at its event.
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Apple offers its customers alternative applications of the office suite, namely Pages, Numbers and Keynote. The availability of Microsoft's product in the form of its Office package is thus a very important competition for it. At least in this respect, we cannot speak of a monopoly. After all, you can also install and use office applications from Google on iOS and iPadOS, namely not only Documents, but also Sheets. Apple also has good relations with Adobe, which also regularly presents its solutions at its events.
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"Without exceptions"
Communication also took place between App Store managers Phil Schiller and Eddy Cuo, and details some of Microsoft's demands. For example, she wanted the two to meet with Microsoft executive Kirk Koenigsbauer, the company's current senior vice president, which they eventually agreed to. However, Microsoft also asked Apple to allow it to redirect users of its office suite to pay for subscriptions to its own website. This would of course bypass the 30% commission from the App Store. However, Schiller said in an email: "We run the business, we collect the revenue."
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Flying around the world with Apple It would, of course, be imprudent of Apple to let the kind of earnings that come from Microsoft's subscription services slip away. On the other hand, if he agreed, it would now be grist to the mill for Epic Games to argue why one can and the other can't. In this respect, Apple is therefore principled and does not measure with a double standard, although of course there are exceptions, viz Hulu or Zoom.
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More fragments from the case
Information also surfaced about Apple's interest in convincing Epic Games that the studio would support its ARKit augmented reality platform. Emails circulating between Epic executives in 2017 indicated that there was also a meeting with Apple where things like using the iPhone's facial tracking technology to create animated characters were discussed. Discussions about ARKit between companies even continued until 2020, now everything is probably on ice. Representatives of Epic Games regularly appeared at Apple events, where the studio showed the advances in technology that it usually presented in its game titles. Given the current situation, it is certain that this year's WWDC21 will not even be mentioned about this studio. We will find out if all the vicissitudes around Fortnite were worth it to him until the court's verdict.
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When I pay for Microsoft 365, I pay directly to Microsoft. I install the IOS applications and log in to my Microsoft account. I pay nothing to Apple.
I understand that Epic opposes the fee, but I don't really understand it with MS, which itself also requires it.