As an epic vs. Apple Trial Wraps, Apple CEO Tim Cook took a stance to give the most awaited trial testimony. After the statement was widely quoted that “I am not a gamer” at the beginning of the day, Cook testified of the Apple business in China and his privacy policy.
But some of the heaviest questions came from the US district judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who pressed the cook on Apple’s relationship with the developers. The judge appointed a survey conducted by Apple which showed that 39 percent of his developers were not satisfied with the company’s distribution. Given the high number, he asked to cook how Apple has an incentive “to overcome their needs.”
Cook answers that there are always some “friction” with developers, given the number of applications rejected by the company, but that “friction is good for users because it allows them to know it is safe and trusted.” Rogers replied that it was “it doesn’t seem to feel the pressure or competition to change the way you act to overcome the worries of the developer.”
He also said that it was “very significant” that most of the App Store income and purchasing income in the application came from the game, said the game industry produced “disprorcousal amounts” income for Apple. He pointed to the banking application, such as Wells Fargo, who did not pay Apple in addition to the annual developer costs. He asked if the game application basically subsidized all free applications in the store. Cook does not agree, saying that having a “large amount” free application helps get more traffic to all developers.
Cook also faces questions about other sensitive problems. Epic lawyers ask about Apple’s policies in China, including the fact that Chinese iCloud data is owned by a state-owned company called GCBD. Earlier this week, The New York Times published a long investigation into Apple’s “compromise” made to operate in China. The CEO was also encouraged at Apple collaboration with the demand for the Chinese government to remove applications from the App Store. Cook said the company has an obligation to follow the laws of countries where it operates.
A few moments seem to stretch credibility, like when Cook claims not to know how many Google is paid to become the default search engine in iOS, saying “it might be a better question for them [Google].” This setting specification is currently part of a separate antimonopolic investigation from the Ministry of Justice, which last year said this agreement gave Google Illegal Monopoly associated with search-related advertisements.
There is also a long discussion of the App Store and how much income it produces, which has become a major problem throughout the trial. Cook repeatedly said that Apple did not issue the Financial App Store separately, even though it has a “feeling” for the amount. He acknowledged that the iOS App Store made “many” more than his Mac traffic jam, and the gaming application made the most money. (Previously in the trial, Epic called expert witnesses who testified that Apple’s operating margins for the App Store could be as high as 77.8 percent. Apple swelled the number.)
Cook’s testimony came as a trial week wrapped. The closing argument is scheduled for Monday, and Rogers says the decision will take “some time,” but hopefully it will land in mid-August.