Decoder with Nilay Patel Did Apple get too big for its own good?
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May 12, 2025 
John Gruber, the proprietor of Daring Fireball, joins to delve into Apple's current struggles and its mounting legal challenges. They explore the critical ruling in the Epic vs. Apple case, highlighting developer frustrations over perceived greed. Gruber discusses Apple's strategic pivot towards services revenue and the implications of its App Store practices, alongside the complexities of its global supply chain. The conversation raises questions about the company's future as it navigates regulatory pressures and strained relationships with developers.
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Scale Distorts Apple
- Apple's iPhone success is massive and almost unfathomable in scale and profitability.
- Such scale inevitably distorts the company, influencing its priorities and culture in profound ways.
Services Revenue Shift
- Apple shifted from hardware sales growth to extracting increasing services revenue from existing users.
- This change deeply impacted developers, especially game makers who pay Apple substantial cut from in-app purchases.
Apple Ignored Court Injunction
- Apple's compliance with the 2021 injunction was minimal and evasive, ignoring the court's intent.
- The company's restrictive policies on external purchasing links frustrated the judge and damaged Apple's legal standing.