Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Apple's Tim Cook Says "Threat Profile" Of iPhone Justifies App Store Rules

Apple's Tim Cook Says "Threat Profile" Of iPhone Justifies App Store Rules

Tim Cook is expected to spend more than two hours making what are likely to be his most extensive public remarks on the App Store, which anchors Apple's $53.8 billion services business.
Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook on Friday told a court the 'threat profile' of the iPhone required tight control of the App Store, which "Fortnite" game maker Epic Games says is a monopoly that Apple abuses.

Cook is expected to spend more than two hours making what are likely to be his most extensive public remarks on the App Store, which anchors Apple's $53.8 billion services business.

Epic has waged a public relations and legal campaign, arguing that Apple acts anticompetitively by only allowing apps it approves on the world's 1 billion iPhones and by forcing developers to use Apple's in-app payment system, which charges commissions of up to 30% on sales.

Cook under questioning said he had higher concerns about the phone than Mac computers. "You have a phone in your pocket most of the time and you want instant service. We felt both the use cases and the threat profile would eventually be much greater because of the number of iPhones on the market."

Epic has argued that the Mac is very safe without Apple's App Store review and that most of the privacy and security benefits come from the operating system, not the App Store rules.

The maker of "Fortnite," which pits players against in each other in an animated "Battle Royale" fight to the last survivor, is led by CEO Tim Sweeney, who has reveled in the public opportunity to take on Apple.

Sweeney two weeks ago kicked off the trial as Epic's first witness, using his time on the stand to argue that "Fortnite" has become a place for players to gather in a virtual world he calls the "metaverse" and that Apple is unfairly demanding an outsized cut of profits for providing simple payment processing technology.

On Friday, Sweeney, who has attended every day of the trial as a corporate representative for Epic, listened to Cook's testimony, looking down at a rubber band he stretched and twirled between his fingers while making notes.

The antitrust trial at a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, comes as Apple faces a chorus of criticism from app makers including music service Spotify Technology, European regulators and U.S. politicians including who say the $2 trillion company tries to squash small competition.

In the past, Cook fielded a handful of questions about the App Store while testifying before U.S. lawmakers last year, but he has stayed mostly silent as lawmakers grilled the chiefs of Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc.

Apple attorneys said they plan to ask him to testify about the company's corporate values, how the App Store came about and Apple's competitive landscape. Throughout the trial, Apple has sought to persuade Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers that whatever rules it imposes on developers are aimed at keeping its customers' information private and safe from malware.

But Epic's legal team has put other Apple executives under pressure during the three-week trial.

During a cross-examination Thursday, Apple's software chief Craig Federighi lashed out at an Epic attorney who did not allow him to explain the technical details of why Apple does not use automated tools to scan for some offensive content. The judge intervened to tell Federighi he would have to explain himself later when Apple's lawyers resume questioning.

In United States, lawmakers such as Senator Amy Klobuchar who are contemplating new antitrust laws are likely to comb through the records generated in the Epic case.

"This case has always been part of a bigger narrative rather than something that's going to decide the issue on its own," said John Bergmayer, legal director at consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
China Presses Netherlands to “properly” Resolve the Nexperia Seizure as Supply Chain Risks Grow
Merz Attacks Migrants, Sparks Uproar, and Refuses to Apologize: “Ask Your Daughters”
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
×