This isn’t a “big bad Apple” story.
Just one review of the app from the article:
“I bought this to get what looks like a Rolex watch face … it’s not a face it’s just a picture … hands don’t even move,” wrote one customer. “Does this company have permission from Rolex to do this? I took it they did but I doubt it. Pure scam to get money from people. I want a refund it’s not acceptable. I will also report to Rolex and see if they do anything.”
It also sounds like they may have been faking reviews and other shenanigans.
I guess some people would simply “download a Rolex”.
So what did the guy win? I’m not clicking that link, sry
I’ll put 100 on “this user needs their account to do things which in principle need not require an account”, please.
You need an apple developer account to publish apps on the app store
Normally I’d say that’s fine (the store hoster should decide what’s there) but it’s my understanding Apple actively opposite the existence of alternative app stores. Can they host it elsewhere now?
Anecdotally Apple make it very hard to even post an app but that’s neither here nor there.
They can put it on another App Store in the EU, but only if it’s approved by apple and they pay apple 50 cents per download
That sounds like par for the course in the US but the kind of thing that the EU would have a law against.
Yep they do, but it’s going to take a few years for the courts to rule in this one since that stupid fee came in like a month ago