Beep boop - this is a robot. A new show has been posted to TWiT…
What are your thoughts about today’s show? We’d love to hear from you!
I enjoyed the conversation that Paul and Leo had about the App Store, but I am a bit confused as to why Sony and Microsoft are different with the way they treat console users. He said that it’s a “different market” because Apple has way more users. What is the cutoff? 100 million? 200 million? At least on the iPhone Microsoft was able to bypass the App Store using Safari. Not ideal, I know, but good luck doing that on an Xbox or PS5.
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This episode’s title decision must have been a close race with “Sweaters for your feet”. I know genius when I hear it.
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I think you can draw a difference between general computing devices and gaming consoles. Smartphones are more important than gaming consoles, and deserve closer regulation, in the same way that regulating car safety is more important than regulating snowboard safety.
For a more mathematical approach, there’s also a big difference between iPhones, sold at high profit margins, often replaced every 2-3 years, and gaming consoles, which are typically sold at a loss, at least early in their lifecycle, and which are consistently used for longer periods.
I also think Leo is overly focused on a strict interpretation of monopoly in his defense of Apple. I don’t hear him mounting the same defenses for duopolies in the telecommunications industry, and for good reason, because giant market-moving companies who collude to protect their business models deserve to be regulated. It seems there’s a bit of an outdated frame this is viewed through where the world’s most profitable company somehow is still a precious underdog.
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Does the law make that distinction?
I think regulators have the ability to consider the fundamental business models of the companies they’re regulating, but I’m not a lawyer.
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That makes sense. I personally think that the consoles are far worse given that there is no web browser and the manufacturers are gatekeepers with even more stringent rules than Apple or Google. Microsoft has found a way to offer game streaming on iOS and iPadOS. Good luck doing something that they don’t like on the Xbox.
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Edge is available on the XBOX consoles.
I’m sure many of us listen to MacBreak Weekly and I typically hear Leo taking issue with a number of Alex Lindsay’s assertions and defenses regarding Apple’s control of the iOS App Store. So I think he was mainly giving @thurrott a dissenting argument so Paul could expand his thinking.
I’m growing to dislike the term “`devil’s advocate” - because the devil is fully capable of advocating for himself/herself without the need of assistance. But in this case - it was good for Leo to push back in order for Paul to make his (really good) arguments.
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Yeah, I know, I have an Xbox. It is so limited in functionality that I don’t count it 
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Interesting - I don’t typically use it myself. I should just so I can see how limited it is.
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A similar concept to the XBox app “pay Apple 30%” would be if TWiT put a “Join Club TWiT” button in a podcast and Apple decided to treat that in a similar fashion to games and wanted to take 30% when being in Club TWiT imposes zero operating costs on Apple - just like selling an XBox game imposes zero cost on Apple.
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