Mobile Dev Memo Podcast Season 7, Episode 11: iWar, and Apple's struggle to preserve its App Store empire (with Tim Higgins)
Sep 30, 2025
Tim Higgins, a Business columnist at The Wall Street Journal and author of iWar, dives into Apple's ongoing battles for dominance over the App Store. He recounts the fierce campaigns from rivals like Spotify and Epic Games, revealing how Apple's aggressive legal strategies and vast resources shape competition. Tim explores the complexities of App Store economics, the challenges developers face, and how Apple’s decisions echo across global regulatory landscapes. A captivating look at the conflict between innovation and control in the tech industry.
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EU Scrutiny Preceded App Store Battles
- Apple’s earlier tax and e-book fights seeded European suspicion that it abused market power.
- That suspicion made Spotify an ideal 'poster child' to escalate App Store scrutiny in Brussels.
Risk-As-Strategy At Apple
- Apple treats legal risk as a competitive asset and routinely pushes legal boundaries.
- That aggressive posture can deter rivals but sometimes backfires when regulators or courts push back.
Tim Cook’s Different Receptions: US vs EU
- Tim Cook charmed U.S. senators during tax hearings and avoided a grilling.
- The same approach failed in Brussels, where regulators were unreceptive and saw Apple as evasive.
