Although some people are skeptical of this statement, a witness in the Epic and Apple lawsuit stated that the Cupertino technology giant needs to redesign its hardware and software to allow third-party app stores to exist.
As reported, the expert witnesses, Dr. Daniel L. Rubinfeld, as saying that the problem mainly revolves around the interoperability of third-party app stores and apps because doing so does not comply with Apple’s app review guidelines.
FOSS Patents founder Florian Mueller shared the statement, but Epic founder Tim Sweeney also gave a strongly worded response. Although Mueller pointed out that there was a way to bypass the App Store to install apps on iOS devices and work without new hardware.
That's baloney! iOS already has a mechanism for users to install apps from the web – the Apple Enterprise Program. Only contractual limitations prevent it from being used for consumer software distribution.https://t.co/TfUN3rqHTm
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) April 14, 2021
But this will add a lot of unnecessary trouble to Apple, especially since the company requires third-party app store developers to store a list of “Unique Device Identifiers” (UUID) in the App. Mueller wrote in his blog: In order to find your UUID, you must connect your iPhone / iPad to your MacBook via USB and open the iTunes application.
Then let the developer package the unique device identification copied by the user into the actual App package, but this is obviously not suitable for large-scale distribution options, not to mention that Apple may revoke this scheme at any time. Even if it is distributed through the TestFlight channel, the program still has other limitations.
Finally, Mueller also expressed doubts about another testimony provided by James Malachowski, who claimed that the App Store was mentioned in more than 250 US patents and related applications.
However, Mueller believes that this statement is meaningless because the App Store mentioned in the description does not necessarily mean that the App Store is protected by patents. As for the latest developments in the courts, please be patient and wait for the trial to be held on May 3.
