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 Epic is a serial antagonizer. They’ve publicly clashed with Sony over cross-platform play and made a big stink about bypassing the Google Play Store. And if they catch you bypassing THEIR Appstore they’ll sue you too. Ironic. They are ruthless with companies that are smaller than them and they don’t hesitate to publicly lie about companies larger than them.
 There was an interesting article on Forbes yesterday that detailed how Facebook was preparing for Apple’s iOS 14. It seems that Apple’s latest iOS is getting much more powerful in shielding it’s users from snooping. This article does a great job of showing one facet of why iOS is the star of Apple’s show.
 I had mentioned about a week ago how some pundits are gaslighting the public by claiming that Apple’s AppStore policies are against consumer choice. When in fact, the truth is the opposite, Apple’s system is the one that gives the consumer the greatest voice. Well, Myke Hurley of the Connected podcast repeatedly makes a similar claim. He asserts that Apple’s current system is hurting “the customer experience”. Here’s where he is wrong.
 On the latest podcast episode of Accidental Tech Podcast, Marco Arment was back at it again. He basically doubled down on his “Apple is too big” argument. I’m going to break out why his two main arguments are wrong
 I heard Marco Arment make an attempt to explain why he’s on Epic’s side in this AppStore battle. His argument boils down to 5 words, “because Apple is so big”. He doesn’t support the government exerting control over game consoles “because they’re not so big”.
Apple Is Defending Consumer Choice  Some Apple pundits and developers are gaslighting the public by claiming that Apple’s 30% AppStore fee is against consumer choice. When in fact, the opposite is true. Apple is actually the party which is defending freedom of choice for the consumer.
 A lot of developers are attacking Apple from the angle that forcing all apps to be distributed via the AppStore isn’t about quality control, but Apple “just wants a cut”.
 Much to the surprise of Apple pundits, it seems that Apple really does treat all developers the same. As I’ve stated before, all developers have equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome. If you have enough leverage, you too can get AppStore waivers.
Apple Is the Security Champion  Sensing that the timing may be right, Microsoft has started complaining about Apple’s AppStore policies. At issue is the fact that Apple won’t approve their gaming app xCloud, or Google’s Stadia for that matter, in the iOS AppStore. But the reasoning is simple, Apple wants to vet all the apps that are offered in the AppStore. It’s a consumer friendly reason. The gaming apps at issue are like little AppStores which allow unvetted apps access to the platform.
Where Nilay Patel and John Gruber Misunderstand the AppStore  I listened with amazement as John Gruber interviewed Nilay Patel of The Verge on The Talk Show. For close to 30 minutes the two of them griped and complained about how Apple has total control over their AppStore. They complained that Developers can’t bypass the AppStore in any way to offer their software to customers. And they complained about how developers can’t use their own payment processing system to sell on iOS devices.
 While I’ve written how App Store policies are a much bigger issue than most people realize. Because it hints at how Apple sees itself long-term. Is Apple a hardware or services company? Is one used to sell the other? But ultimately, I don’t think this issue is about money. It’s about curating Apple’s famous walled garden.
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Robert PerezManufacturing and distribution analysis since 1993. 
Perezonomics is available in Apple News
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