Apple Inc.’s annual conference for software developers begins Monday. It arrives with something unusual for the iPhone maker: app developers unhappy about the terms of its App Store.
The weeklong Worldwide Developers Conference, which begins at 1 p.m. New York time with a keynote speech by Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook streamed on the company’s website, is normally a pep rally for the company and its acolytes. This year it comes on the heels of Apple’s courtroom fight with “Fortnite” maker Epic Games Inc., which spotlighted the increasingly thorny relations some developers have with a company that controls access to the billion-plus iPhone users world-wide.
Last month’s trial, in which Epic accused Apple of improper monopoly behavior, capped a year of rare dissension among app developers. The period has included public sparring with Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Mr. Cook’s defense before Congress of Apple’s behavior.
At the heart of developers’ gripes is money. Some dislike new privacy rules Apple recently enacted that disrupted the digital-ad industry. Others loathe the commission, as much as 30%, that Apple takes on digital revenue generated through the App Store.
Apple has denied allegations that it is a monopoly and defended its commission as in line with rivals’ and fair for the value it has created. Apple has said Epic wants to get around paying its fair share for using the App Store.
