Apple is slashing developer fees on one end and putting fires out in the other, and the Solomon Islands is looking at banning Facebook.
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Friday November 20, and I’m your host Alex Coop.
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Apple says it’s cutting the fees it charges software developers to help them thrive during the pandemic. As of next year, the company says it will halve the charge that most developers pay to sell services and software on its App Store to 15 per cent of revenue. That’s down from 30 per cent of revenue. The comes in the midst of Apple’s ongoing battle against a suit brought by video-game maker Fortnite over fees. The App Store, which carries 1.8 million apps, accounts for about a third of the iPhone maker’s total services revenue of almost $54 billion. [LinkedIn thread]
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Speaking of Apple, The Washington Post is reporting that Apple is expected to a $113 million settlement in an investigation into the company’s practice of throttling old iPhones, a move that some customers viewed as a way to get them to buy a new, more expensive iPhone. Apple declined Business Insider’s request for comment. Instead, it pointed to a part of the filing that stated Apple’s settlement does not imply admittance of wrongdoing. So long #batterygate, it was nice knowing you.
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And lastly, the Solomon Islands government says it’s planning to ban Facebook to limit “abusive language” and “character assassination,” but some critics argue the move is to stomp out criticism of the government. According to the Guardian, if implemented, the Solomon Islands would join China, Iran, and North Korea who have also outlawed Facebook. Other countries have temporarily blocked it, including the island nation of Nauru, which prohibited Facebook in 2015. They did a bit of a 180 however in 2018, and unblocked access.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. I’m Alex Coopraw audio, thanks for listening.