Naiyas

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Naiyas
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  • Apple shuts down Epic Games developer account

    NaiyasNaiyas
    entropys said:
    So when is Apple coming out with the game engine to rule them all?
    Apple could buy Epic out and own the Unreal Engine with pocket change. Apple spent almost double Epic’s entire value on their share buyback program alone last year.

    But that would probably add fuel to the monopoly fire that is currently burning, so it won’t happen.
    dysamoriacornchipwatto_cobra

  • Apple highlights PUBG Mobile on same day it's set to close 'Fortnite' account

    NaiyasNaiyas
    After being burnt once by a game that used IAP for the acquisition of in-game currency several years ago I will never fall prey to the same type of game monetisation again, regardless of publisher. I get that the creation of games is expensive, but I would rather pay $30-$50 for a good game than be at risk of losing $1000's. Anyone's enjoyment of a game should not but their real world livelihood on the line.
    entropyselijahgwatto_cobralolliver

  • Epic isn't planning on making changes to return 'Fortnite' to the App Store

    NaiyasNaiyas
    dantheman827 said:
    I love the iPhone hardware, but I want to install software of my choosing on the hardware I've purchased.

    The iPhone, iPad (Pro), and Apple TV all have amazing hardware but they lock us in the prison that is the App Store requiring a jail break to freely install anything desired.

    My hope is that they do one of the following:

    • Open up their iOS/tvOS for hardware owners to install their own choice of applications which would be limited to the confines of their security sandbox
    • Offer the option to unlock the bootloader so that it would be possible to install your own choice of operating system.

    These devices aren't cheap, yet Apple plays gatekeeper to all the software and anything they don't agree with gets rejected.

    Security wouldn't need to be weakened either since even with existing methods like code signing or enterprise certificates, apps are still sandboxed and subject to the same restrictions as those from the App Store.

    They wouldn't even have to make it easy, for all I care they could pop up a message on install saying WARNING: This software has not been verified by Apple, it may be able to steal all your data, proceed with extreme caution for all I care as long as the option was provided.

    I do not think this would be the end of the App Store since even on Android Epic had tried direct distribution for Fortnite and didn't like the outcome, so they decided to release it on the Google Play store.

    If Epic of all developers couldn't make it outside of the Play Store, what makes you think other developers would? Apps like Netflix already get along just fine by not offering IAP for their subscriptions and just function as a "reader" app.
    Others have spoken on this but here’s my two cents on this “idea”.

    1. You are confusing what hardware and software are.
    2. Apple sells a complete “packaged product”. 

    When you buy an iPhone, iPad, AppleTV you are not buying hardware. You are buying hardware AND a licence to run iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS on the relevant device. Should you choose to decide to completely remove the provided OS and install your own then you are welcome to do so, but you will lose any warranty support you think you may have a right as you may have damaged the hardware.

    It may not be easy to do the above but it is possible. And if you really want to install what you want to on your device sign up for a developer account and you can sideload whatever you can get your hands on via Xcode without breaking warranty!
    watto_cobraDetnator

  • Judge orders Apple can't block Epic's Unreal Engine, Fortnite to remain banned

    NaiyasNaiyas
    GeorgeBMac said:
    According to Reuters, Apple got blasted for its App Store policies in "terse" exchanges between the judge and Apple's lawyer:

    "During a terse exchange with Apple counsel Richard Doren at a hearing on Monday, the judge said she saw “no competition” to Apple’s App Store on the iPhone.

    “The question is, without competition, where does the 30% (App Store commission) come from? Why isn’t it 10? 20? How is the consumer benefiting?” she asked.

    Doren replied that consumers had choices when deciding to buy an Android device or an iPhone.

    “The competition is in the foremarket,” he said, reiterating an argument that has been central to Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook’s defense during Congressional antitrust hearings.

    Gonzalez Rogers replied that there was “plenty of economic theory” to show that switching brands imposed costs on consumers.

    She at one point muted Doren in the virtual proceedings."


    Essentially the judge called Bull on what she sees as Apple's bullshit contention that the iPhone has not created a monopolistic market that it exploits with the App Store.
    My personal thoughts on it are that Apple needs to go beyond (or drop) its claim that it has not created any sort of monopoly and iPhone users are free to go over to Android and claim (correctly) that the Apple Store is an integral part of what makes the iPhone private, secure and stable.
    I agree with you on this.

    Just because there's "plenty of economic theory" to show that switching brands imposed costs on customers isn't an argument to open up the iPhone to more App Stores. There is a cost to the consumer to switch from Android to iPhone or PC to Mac and thousands of examples across a plethora of industries and consumer goods.

    My personal view is that 30% at the outset of the App Store may have been reasonable, but as with everything the market moves on and this level of "commission" is perhaps too high now that the store has been established and it's start up costs likely covered. 15% seems more realistic, especially as 15% is the "commission" rate for ALL subscription apps from year 2 onwards. This level should more than cover payment fees, bandwidth costs, hosting, development tools, etc.

    The biggest issue is what is the "cost" of providing App Store access to the mountain of free apps that pay nothing except the $99 annual developer fee?
    watto_cobra

  • Mac Microsoft Office 2016 users will lose 365 cloud services in October

    NaiyasNaiyas
    PizzaLunchables said:
    I'm curious why anyone would ever even still need Office anymore? I haven't used it in over 10 years. I've been through multiple jobs and four years of university and have never had a reason. Pages converts almost everything perfectly from office and when in doubt you can always export as a PDF for resumes and the like. Between that and all the collaboration features on google docs and slides I just don't get why anyone would pay for office. 
    It's all about personal preference. If I didn't have a business that uses Microsoft 365 then I probably wouldn't use Office either as all I would need is a word processor every now and then. As it is, Microsoft's suite of tools is far more compelling for business purposes than many of the other options in my opinion, and I've tried many of them. You just get far more than a spreadsheet, word processor and presentation tool in the overall package.

    From a personal perspective I've always failed to see the benefit of Google's offerings. Slow, requires a persistent connection, and little in the way of privacy guarantees... and for business use M365 isn't really that much more than G-suite. I can't stand Google's email either. It's just not for me. But again, it's my personal opinion.
    chasmmuthuk_vanalingamwatto_cobra