Epic Victory: Apple Must Stop Taking Developer's Money

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers unleashed a blistering attack on Apple Wednesday, accusing the tech giant of deliberately flouting her 2021 order to loosen its iron grip on App Store payments. The company's response? Slap a 27% fee on outside purchases instead of their usual 30% cut. That three percent discount didn't impress the judge.

Lies and Litigation: Apple Exec Caught in Court Drama

"Apple willfully chose not to comply," Judge Rogers thundered in her 80-page ruling. She didn't stop there. The judge caught Apple's VP of Finance Alex Roman lying under oath about studying competitor payment costs. When Roman claimed they never researched alternatives, he was flat-out wrong - and Apple's lawyers knew it.

"That it thought this court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation," Rogers wrote, wielding her judicial pen like a sword.

Tim Cook's $10 Billion Blunder

Even Apple CEO Tim Cook took direct hits. The judge revealed Cook ignored warnings from his trusted deputy Phil Schiller to comply with the original ruling. Instead, Cook followed his finance team's advice - a decision the judge summed up with two cutting words: "Cook chose poorly."

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney could barely contain his glee. His company's three-year crusade against Apple's payment monopoly finally paid off. Within hours of the ruling, Sweeney announced Fortnite's triumphant return to iPhones next week. He even dangled an olive branch: if Apple extends these new rules worldwide, Epic will drop all current and future litigation.

But Apple faces bigger problems than making peace with Epic. Their App Store empire generates tens of billions in high-margin revenue annually. Now developers can escape those fees entirely by processing payments themselves. The timing couldn't be worse - Apple already risks losing billions in Google search fees from a separate antitrust case.

Global Regulators Circle the Wounded Giant

International regulators smell blood in the water too. Former Obama administration antitrust official Fiona M. Scott Morton predicts this ruling will "break the logjam" keeping Apple safe from similar crackdowns worldwide. The European Commission already fined Apple last week for related conduct.

Apple's PR machine sprang into action, promising to appeal while their stock price slipped in after-hours trading. But some damage can't be undone. A federal judge just referred one of the world's most valuable companies to prosecutors for potential criminal contempt charges.

The Billion-Dollar Question

The real question isn't whether developers will offer cheaper payment options - it's whether iPhone users will break years of App Store habits to use them. Analysts suggest many customers might stick with Apple's familiar system despite the higher fees.

Why this matters:

• A federal judge just shattered the myth of Apple's invincibility, exposing a company willing to lie in court to protect its profits
• Tim Cook's decision to squeeze three more pennies from every dollar might cost Apple billions - and potentially trigger criminal charges

Read on, my dear:

• Wall Street Journal: Apple Violated Antitrust Ruling, Judge Finds