Apple and Epic Games' legal battle royale is nearing an end.
The courtroom drama between the tech giant and "Fortnite" publisher, now in its third week in an Oakland, California federal court, will see star witness Apple CEO Tim Cook take the stand Friday.
Apple's lawyers will likely use Cook's testimony to buttress the iPhone company's assertion that its App Store benefits developers like Epic Games, as well as consumers. Those are contentions Apple included in its countersuit to Epic's suit charging that Apple and its App Store violate antitrust law.
"He can be pivotal in describing Apple's mission to protect the privacy and security of its users through Apple's integrated development environment, its focus on assessing and verifying apps prior to release and the cost the company incurs to make sure user's have a seamless and user friendly experience," said Ari Lightman, professor of digital media and marketing at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College.
Should Apple be forced to temper its App Store guidelines, user experiences "might diminish," Lightman said.
Breakdown: Apple v. Epic Games
The App Store is at the heart of the legal contest. The ongoing tension took a turn when Epic gave players of its mobile games such as "Fortnite" a way to pay directly for items, bypassing the App Store and Google Play store.
Noting that Apple and Google each take a 30% cut of most purchases made in their online stores, Epic priced items that typically cost $9.99 in those stores at $7.99, giving players a discount. That led Apple and Google to remove "Fortnite" from their app stores, which not only halted the influx of new players but also made it harder for those who already had the app to update it and keep playing.
