Tim Cook 'Practicing for Hours' Ahead of Epic Games Testimony Expected This Week

So far, Apple CEO Tim Cook has taken a backseat in defending Apple as it faces a significant legal battle with Epic Games regarding the App Store. While the CEO has commented on the platform in the past, for the first time this week, ‌Tim Cook‌ will take center stage in his company's battle with ‌Epic Games‌.

timcookantitrust
Apple in March submitted its list of executives that will testify during the trial between Apple and ‌Epic Games‌ which began on May 3. ‌Epic Games‌, developers behind the hit-game Fortnite, are accusing the Cupertino tech giant of holding a monopoly and anti-competitive behavior surrounding the ‌App Store‌ and the distribution of apps on Apple devices.

Apple's Phil Schiller, a company fellow, and the senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, are two executives set to appear this week. In addition, the company's top chief is likely set to appear at the trial this week or early next week and has reportedly been preparing for the hearing with "hours of practice," according to The Wall Street Journal.

His testimony is likely to be the most detailed public discussion he will give on a subject that is likely to loom over Apple for years to come. Mr. Cook has been preparing for the trial, according to a person familiar with his effort. That has included hours of practice rounds from former prosecutors chosen by his legal team to simulate the witness stand.

Apple's former marketing chief Phil Schiller, now a company fellow, and Craig Federighi, head of software, are likely witnesses this week while Mr. Cook, who is scheduled to be on the stand for a total of 100 minutes, is expected toward the end of the week or early next week, as the trial in Oakland, Calif., looks to wrap up.

Cook is expected to defend the ‌App Store‌ by touting its economic success, and the entirely new industry it has created. Apple often promotes the success of the ‌App Store‌, saying the platform created 300,000 new jobs in the U.S. as the global health crisis was in full swing last year.

Cook is also likely to face questions regarding the ‌App Store‌'s 30% commission charge. To keep the ‌App Store‌ running, Apple takes a 30% cut from developers for in-app purchases. While the company has lowered the cut for developers making less than $1 million a year, many larger developers still argue that the "Apple tax" is unfair and that developers and users should have access to alternate means of purchasing in-app services and goods.

Apple's ‌App Store‌ policy requires that apps use its own in-app purchasing system. ‌Epic Games‌ attempted to skirt the policy in August of last year in its Fortnite game. Epic's violation of ‌App Store‌ guidelines led to the removal of the game from the App Store and marked the now nearly one-year-long legal battle.

Apple says that by requiring apps to use its own system, it can offer users a safer experience. ‌Tim Cook‌ himself has said that if third-party payment methods were to be allowed, the App Store would become a "flea market."

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

10 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Thursday October 31, 2024 9:42 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well. ...
M4 Pro on Blue

M4 Pro Chip Benchmark Results Reveal an Extremely Impressive Performance Feat

Thursday October 31, 2024 7:06 pm PDT by
The first Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the M4 Pro chip surfaced today. Impressively, the results that are available so far show that the highest-end M4 Pro chip is faster than the highest-end M2 Ultra chip in terms of peak multi-core CPU performance. Here is a comparison of the results: Mac mini with M4 Pro (14-core CPU): 22,094 multi-core score (average of 11 results) Mac Studio...
Apple iPhone SE 4 5G Modem 1

iPhone SE 4 First to Get Apple-Designed 5G Modem, iPhone 17 Pro to Add Custom Wi-Fi 7 Chip

Friday November 1, 2024 4:04 am PDT by
The iPhone SE 4 that's set to come out early next year is expected to debut Apple's first in-house 5G modem, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst who covers companies within Apple's supply chain. In a research note this week with Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities, Pu said Apple is expected to roll out its custom-made 5G modem starting with the next-generation...
best early black friday deals

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals

Friday November 1, 2024 8:21 am PDT by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 29 in 2024. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
M3 Pro Max vs M4 Pro Max Feature

Here's How Much Faster M4 Pro/Max Are for Graphics vs. M3 Pro/Max

Friday November 1, 2024 8:04 am PDT by
Apple's new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips are impressively fast in terms of CPU performance, topping the M2 Ultra, but what about graphics performance? The first Geekbench 6 results for GPU performance are now available for the M4 Pro and M4 Max, and the Metal scores reveal some impressive year-over-year gains. Based on the Metal scores that are available so far, the M4 Pro and M4 Max are up to...
imac video apple feature

What to Expect From Apple This November

Friday November 1, 2024 9:40 am PDT by
After a busy October in which Apple announced new Macs and Apple Intelligence launched, the calendar has now turned to November. Below, we outline what to expect from Apple this month as the slower-but-still-busy holiday season approaches. After seeding the first betas of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 with additional Apple Intelligence features last month, Apple will likely...
pixelmator

Apple Acquires Photo Editing App Maker Pixelmator

Friday November 1, 2024 8:41 am PDT by
Apple has reached an agreement to acquire Pixelmator, the company behind popular photo and image editing apps Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval, according to an announcement made by the Pixelmator team on Friday. Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, Pixelmator has developed a suite of well-regarded creative tools that compete with...

Top Rated Comments

Jason2000 Avatar
45 months ago

The ones who lies, needs to practice, to not get caught lying.
Hey Tim, this is not a Keynote btw. no way to impress with rhetoric,too.
Nothing wrong with preparing.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djcerla Avatar
45 months ago

Good luck Tim. I'm expecting a passionate, albeit somewhat insincere, plea to protect Apple's App Store gravy train. There's a lot on the line here!
Good luck, indeed, albeit I expect a fully sincere plea to protect Apple’s iOS user experience.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sirozha Avatar
45 months ago
Thank you, Your Honor. You are amazing, unprecedented, innovative, and magical.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mjs916 Avatar
45 months ago
Prosecution: “We’d like to call Tim Cook to the stand.”

Tim Cook: “Good morning! Good morning!! I’ve got a GREAT explanation for why the App Store takes a 30% cut.

We’ve prepared a special testimony we think you’re going to love… and I’d like to show it to you… right now.”

*courtroom fades to black*
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Captain Trips Avatar
45 months ago

Nothing wrong with preparing.
Especially in a legal setting - it is the job of the opposing lawyer to trip you up and get you to answer things in a way that makes their client's case.

Nothing wrong with that, that is how legal proceedings go, at least in the USA. But to suggest someone is practicing only because they are a liar doesn't really match up to the reality of current legal matters (again, in the USA).

Seriously, this is just like responding to questions in an audit - people who are involved in audits are cautioned very strongly to be on point, only answer the auditor's questions, and don't provider information the auditor did not specifically ask for.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
easy4lif Avatar
45 months ago
Hold the line Tim. I and everyone else that bought apple DO NOT WANT ios to be turned into Android! ?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)