Apple CEO Tim Cook was, as expected, questioned about Apple’s App Store policies during today’s antitrust hearing with the U.S. House…
Apple CEO Tim Cook was, as expected, questioned about Apple’s App Store policies during today’s antitrust hearing with the U. S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee. Cook primarily stuck to the talking points provided in his opening statement [PDF], but he did have some extra color to add. Cook was specifically questioned about email app «Hey» from Basecamp, which was at the center of a huge controversy earlier this year after Apple approved the app and then threatened to remove it from the App Store because Hey was skirting Apple’s in-app purchase rules. At issue was the fact that the «Hey» app was non-functional for customers unless they subscribed to the $99 per year Hey email service outside of the App Store. Hey did not want to give Apple a 30 percent cut of profits, while Apple claimed that it did not want an app that «doesn’t work» on the App Store. Hey at the time opened to a blank screen asking users to log in. When asked about the inconsistency over the approval of the app and the subsequent controversy, Cook didn’t have much to say other than pointing out that the issue was resolved and that the App Store provides a lot of value for developers.
