Apple says App Store created 300K jobs in 16 months amid antitrust battle
The App Store supports 2.1 million jobs in all 50 states, Apple says
Apple said on Wednesday that its App Store has created 300,000 jobs since April 2019 as the iPhone maker faces scrutiny from other tech companies who say it acts like a monopoly.
Apple is in the middle of a legal battle with "Fortnite" maker Epic Games, having removed Epic from its App Store and revoked its development tools after the game maker attempted to evade Apple's 30-percent App Store commission fee by including a direct payment system in Fortnite in violation of the tech giant's rules.
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"The iOS app economy has created nearly 300,000 jobs since April 2019, helping to provide opportunities to Americans of all ages even as COVID-19 continues to create immense challenges and uncertainty for communities across the country," Apple said Wednesday.
EPIC GAMES SAYS NEW FORTNITE UPDATE WON'T BE AVAILABLE TO APPLE USERS
The company added that "developers nationwide...have adapted their businesses to make sure they can keep supporting customers during a challenging time."
Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an announcement of new products at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
The App Store supports 2.1 million jobs in all 50 states, a 15% increase compared to last year, Apple said.
Facebook and Microsoft have also criticized Apple for its strict App Store policies. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg reportedly told employees during a webcast that Apple has a "unique stranglehold as a gatekeeper on what gets on phones," according to BuzzFeed.
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The social media company has accused Apple of rejecting its Gaming app six times for violating its guidelines and then subsequently rejecting its attempt to notify users of the 30% commission fee Apple takes from in-app purchases.
Microsoft also issued a statement saying it could not release a gaming app called Cloudx on the App Store for violating Apple's guidelines, saying the tech giant "consistently treats gaming apps differently."
The Department of Justice and a group of state attorneys general have been laying the groundwork for an antitrust investigation into Apple, Politico reported in June.