Apple claims Epic requested for special treatment

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Apple has finally responded to Epic's lawsuit with claims that the gaming giant requested special treatment on multiple occasions. The company produced three emails from Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, marking Apple's first legal response against Epic since their dispute spilled into courts. The claim that Epic sought a "special deal" was something Sweeney refuted earlier this month, saying they are "fighting for open platforms and policy changes equally benefiting all developers." 

But Apple's filing on Friday disputes this point. "On June 30, 2020, Epic's CEO Tim Sweeney wrote my colleagues and me an email asking for a 'side letter' from Apple that would create a special deal for only Epic that would fundamentally change the way in which Epic offers apps on Apple's iOS platform," Phil Schiller, former Apple Senior Vice President and now Apple Fellow, said.

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Dell Latitude 7410 Chromebook Enterprise comes to Canada, starting price at $2,547

Remote work is becoming an essential part of living in 2020. And you'll need a machine that can keep up with you. Dell is hoping the new Latitude 7410 Chromebook Enterprise can help you achieve your work goals. With a starting price of $2,547.18, the Latitude 7410 is a 14-inch premium business laptop/2-in-1 with "innovative" security features, allowing companies to quickly secure, deploy, and manage these devices no matter where their employees are working. 

It features Dell's first-ever 4K panel with Low Blue Light tech on a Chromebook Enterprise, promising better readability and eye comfort. And with narrow four-sided borders, there's more screen real estate to work with. Dell pairs this with acoustic noise reduction features for better audio on video calls.

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News publishers group asks Apple to lower its App Store fees for them

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A publisher's group representing the likes of the New York Times, The Economist, the Washington Post, NPR, Conde Nast, etc. is hoping to cut down its 30% "Apple tax" to 15%. The request comes a week after Epic's legal battle with Apple began over this cut Apple (and Google) get from in-app purchases. But the trade organization Digital Content Next got the idea from Amazon. Documents released as part of a Congressional antitrust hearing in the US with CEOs from Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google-owner Alphabet revealed that Apple takes 15% from Amazon's App Store revenue for Prime Video instead of the standard 30%.

Digital Content Next's CEO Jason Kint wrote in an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, asking about the conditions its members need to meet to qualify for the same arrangement. Because right now, nearly a third of every newspaper subscription sold through an iOS device goes to Apple. Cook said during the hearing that this deal was open to any developer that meets the conditions. 

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Epic Games to host #FreeFortnite Cup on Aug. 23

With Fortnite currently banned from the Apple App Store and Epic Games on the verge of losing access to its Apple developer accounts, the developer is holding a special #FreeFortnite Cup on Sunday, August 23, for "one more Victory Royale with friends across all platforms."

Epic will be offering a host of prizes during the event ranging from an in-game outfit, physical "Free Fortnite" hat, to non-Apple hardware, including Alienware laptops, Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 tablets, OnePlus 8 phones, and Xbox One X and Nintendo Switch gaming systems.

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