Tech News Roundup for September 25, 2020

Here are a few of the stories that caught my attention in the last couple days

Google Takes Harder Stance on 30 Percent Play Store Cut

In a move I will call unusual, Google is actually getting more strict on the 30% policy in its Play Store for Android.  Google has the same 30% policy that Apple does, but it has applied it much more loosely over the years.  Google has looked the other way if apps and services used their own payment methods instead of using the Google Play Store where Google takes a 30% cut.  As of next week, Google will be informing developers that it will begin enforcing that policy.  Apps like Netflix and Spotify, among others, use their own payment method to allow Android users to subscribe from within the app.  All developers will either need to switch to Google Pay, or stop taking subscriptions through their apps.

This is a very curious move in light of the scrutiny and legal actions being taken against Apple and Google for these exact practices.  That Google would move even more towards that model is….. strange.

It should be worth noting that this only effects apps distributed through the Google Play Store.  Android does allow for apps to be installed outside of an app store, or entire third party app stores to be installed.  Apps installed through these methods are not subject to the Google Play 30% cut because they are not distributed through that method. That is Google’s legal argument.

https://www.androidcentral.com/google-set-double-down-controversial-30-play-store-cut

Amazon announced 234987234 Products

That may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much.  Amazon has, for a couple years had a fall hardware event where it updates a slew of hardware products, and introduces new ones.  This year, it was conducted virtually, and there was a lot.  I won’t go through everything in detail, but there are a few things of note.

Amazon’s first smart home device, the echo smart speaker, gets its biggest redesign ever.  Instead of cylindrical devices, the new Echo and Echo dots are spherical, which gives them a much more pleasing look.

The Echo Show 10 is a smart home device with a 10” display.  Google and Amazon have been making these types of devices for a couple years now, but the twist with the Echo Show 10 is that the screen is mounted on an articulating arm which can move automatically to face the user using the front facing camera.  This has interesting use cases for areas like the kitchen, where a recipe can be kept on the screen and swivel back and forth so it always faces the person who needs to look at it.

The weirdest launch was the Amazon Ring Always Home Cam.  This product is a security camera which is attached to a drone that is designed to fly inside a house.  The idea, according to Amazon, is that when no one is home the device can detect if there is movement, or work in conjunction with Amazon’s other Ring security products, and the Always Home Cam can lift off from its cradle and fly to where the disturbance may be, giving a mobile security camera.  I think I’ll pass…..

Amazon also announced new Eero 6 mesh wifi routers, which update it’s popular eero wifi system with Wifi 6, as well as two new Fire TV sticks designed for 1080p TV’s to replace the older model that was significantly slower than the model designed for 4k TV’s.

https://www.androidcentral.com/everything-amazon-announced-its-september-2020-hardware-event

Amazon’s big announcement Was Luna, a Game Streaming Service

The big surprise announcement from Amazon was that it is getting into the Streaming Game… game… taking on Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Game Streaming (seriously, that name) and Google Stadia.  Luna is a streaming service for games and it is coming to Fire TV, PC, Mac, iPhone, and iPad at launch.  Support for Android is “coming soon.” 

The iPhone and iPad support raised some eyebrows because of the very public fights with Microsoft and Google over the App store rules.  But Luna Is coming to those platforms via a Progressive Web App, which means it is accessible through the Safari Web Browser on iOS and iPadOS.  It will be very interesting to see how well that works.

Luna is launching in early access in the US soon, with no word on when it will launch in other markets.  The “introductory price” is $6 USD per month.  There will be “more than 100” games available at launch, including some well known, if slightly older AAA titles.  

I don’t know how this well end, but I think Amazon has a bigger chance of being successful in this space than Google does. 

https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/24/21451371/amazon-luna-cloud-gaming-service-twitch-alexa-controller

Facebook Gets Small Win Against Apple

A few weeks ago it was reported that Apple blocked a Facebook app update on iOS because it told users that if they made a purchase for a paid event through the iOS app, Apple would take 30%.  This was one of many instances of backlash against Apple over a short period of time.  This week, Apple and Facebook have come to an agreement of sorts, with Apple agreeing to allow Facebook to use Facebook Pay for transactions for paid Facebook events created by small businesses.  This exception to the App Store policies will be in place until the end of 2020.  Apple says it is due to COVID-19 affecting many small businesses, and that this is a small step it can take to help.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/09/apple-backs-down-on-taking-30-cut-of-paid-online-events-on-facebook/

Tech News Roundup for August 14, 2020

There are lots of worthy and interesting things from earlier this week, but today the focus has to be on Epic Games, Apple, and Amazon.

Epic Games Intentionally Violates Apple and Google Store Rules To Spark Lawsuits

The next great tech company legal battle is now underway.  Epic Games, publisher of the immensely popular Fortnite, took steps to initiate legal challenges against Apple and Google.  As I’ve talked about before, Apple takes a 30% cut of every single transaction conducted on the iOS and iPad OS platforms.  The public disdain for this policy has been growing among some companies, with Epic Games being one of the largest voices

On Thursday Epic Games added the ability to purchase in game currency in Fortnite on iOS without using Apple’s payment platform.  It is unclear how they were able to accomplish this, since it did not require an app update that most certainly would have been rejected by Apple.  Epic did the same thing with Fortnite on the Google Play store on Android.  Apple responded very quickly by removing Fortnite from the App Store for violating its App Store policies.  Epic responded immediately by filing a lawsuit in the Northern District of New York.  It also began an ad campaign called #FreeFortnite.  A few hours later, Google also removed Fortnite from the Google Play store, and Epic Games launched a similar lawsuit against Google.

This court case, especially the one against Apple, has the potential to be a watershed moment in the technology industry.  However, this is something that will take literally years, and no matter which way lower courts rule, will likely eventually find its way to the Supreme Court of the United States.  Many people outside the gaming community will not be familiar with Epic Games, but the company is behind the Unreal Engine, which is the most used software and service used to develop a large number of video games on the market, so the company has the financial capacity to continue this court fight through its eventual conclusion.  This will take years.  If Epic Games wins the lawsuit against Apple it has the potential to forever change the iOS and iPad OS App store model in some manor, whether that be a change in the percentage Apple takes, alternative distribution methods, or something else.  This will be one we watch closely for a long time.

On the Google side, it is less clear how Epic Games will fare.  The Google Play store has specific rules, however Android is a more open platform than iOS.  Apps distributed through the Google Play Store must use Google’s in app payment system which also takes a 30% cut, however Android does not restrict software from being installed via other means.  Applecations can be downloaded from the internet and installed without the use of the Play Store, and there are alternative app stores to the Google Play Store.  The Google Play Store does have a majority of the market on Android, but it does not prevent other distribution methods.  It is entirely possible Epic loses the lawsuit against Google for that reason, but it should have no impact on the Apple lawsuit.  Again, this is something that will be watched closely for a very long time.

In the immediate future, Fortnite will continue to work on iOS, iPad OS, and Android until Epic issues an update to the game to Chapter 2 Season 4.  The Fortnite apps installed via the App Store and Play Store will not be able to update, which will prevent players on those platforms from playing the game.  As mentioned, Android users do have recourse via alternate install methods, but Apple users will be unable to play Fortnite indefinitely.

Fortnite remains available on the majority of other platforms, PC, Mac, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

The Verge

Canadian Competition Bureau launches investigation into Amazon.ca

Friday morning the Canadian Competition Bureau launched an investigation into Amazon.ca, Amazon’s Canadian operation an website.  The investigation seeks to determine if Amazon is "impacting competition to the detriment of consumers and companies that do business in Canada."

This is not a formal charge nor a finding of wrongdoing, but the beginning of an investigation.  It is looking for feedback from Canadian companies on their experiences dealing with Amazon, and how it has affected their business, and their ability to do business outside of Amazon.

This one is fascinating because It has the potential be be extremely far reaching.  Amazon operates its own store, but also allows sellers to use the amazon platform in the form of “Amazon Marketplace”  This allows anyone to sell goods through Amazon’s website, those who do face restrictions on selling outside of the Amazon ecosystem.  Amazon also has its own in house brand, Amazon Basics, which sells a wide variety of products in competition with those third party sellers.  Amazon sells everything from batteries to backpacks, diapers to sweaters, and of course electronics like the Fire Tablet lineup, and Amazon Echo devices.  Amazon is often times competing directly with the products that are sold on the Amazon Marketplace, and there have been accusations in the past of Amazon using the data it gathers from the Marketplace to launch new products and services that undercut those products, as well as using its ownership of the platform to promote its own products over those of the third party sellers.

This will likely be another long drawn out process that takes years to resolve, but is no more or less important.  Amazon has become a “default” shopping experience for many Canadians.  I have no idea how this ends, but probably in the courts somewhere.  This will be another thing worth watching.

CBC News

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Reviews

Reviews of Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3 have started to hit and they are about as expected.  The watches are described as the best smartwatches for Android, but also the most expensive.  They represent a higher end, more “designer” focused option to the Galaxy Watch Active 2 line of watches, but larger, heavier, and more expensive.  The watches look great, and offer a much more stylish look than the Watch Active 2 or Apple Watch.  The original Galaxy Watch is also on significant discount, likely to clear out stock, and represents a compelling value.  The original Galaxy Watch offers virtually the same experience, but is a bit larger yet.  For those looking at a “nicer” watch at a discount, the Galaxy Watch is a very compelling option, one I might be interested in if I didn’t already own a Galaxy Watch Active 2.

Android Central