Source: Apple
What you need to know
- Tim Cook will testify to a House antitrust committee today, Wednesday, July 29.
- His opening statement has been released in advance.
- Cook will tell the committee that if Apple is a gatekeeper to the App Store, it has opened the gate wider to developers.
Apple CEO Tim Cook will tell a House Subcommittee on Antitrust that if Apple is a gatekeeper to the App Store, then it has opened the gate wider to developers, in his opening remarks later today.
Cook's full opening statement can be read in advance of the hearing, where he will testify remotely alongside the CEOs of Google, Facebook, and Amazon on competition in the tech industry.
In his statement, Cook begins by honoring the life and legacy of the late Congressman John Lewis, saying "I feel fortunate to hail from a state and a country that benefitted profoundly from his leadership."
Cook will remind the committee of Apple's entrenched mission to enrich people's lives through technology, something it believes it can only do by making "the best and not the most." Highlighting the iPhone as "one such" revolutionary product, he will tell the committee that Apple's seamless integration of hardware and software, user experiences, design simplicity, and high-quality ecosystem is "essential to why they (customers) choose Apple."
Touching on the matter at hand, he will remind them that Apple "does not have a dominant market share in any market where we do business". Describing the App Store as a "revolutionary alternative" to brick-and-mortar software sales, Cook will note how developers set their own prices for their apps "and never pay for shelf space.
The statement goes on to reference the App Store's high-quality user experience, the store's transparency, and the fact that guidelines are applied equally to all developers of all sizes and categories. It further mentions how the vast majority (around 84%) of developers pay no money to Apple through the App Store.
Whilst the statement says "scrutiny is reasonable and appropriate", it notes that Apple makes "no concession on the facts."
Cook will answer questions from the committee alongside Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, and Jeff Bezos. The hearing will be live-streamed at 12 pm Eastern Time.

Nintendo recap: Sega's Sonic plans and Pokémon fan pays tribute to OG art
Three additional games found their way onto Nintendo Switch Online this week. Plus, we're in the final stretch before the 3DS and Wii U eShops no longer accept purchases of any kind. There's even more Nintendo news, so let's dive in.

Review: Eliminate Wi-Fi dead zones on all your Apple devices at once
WiFi dead zones and spotty internet signal at home can be wildly frustrating. With the rockspace AX1800 Router and Extender you can improve internet reliability overall and eliminate WiFi dead zones for your Apple devices.

Review: Secretlab's TITAN Evo 2022 is probably the best gaming chair ever
Secretlab's TITAN Evo is its 2022 offering. It's an awesome upgrade on its 2020 model and the perfect gaming chair for any gamer.

These accessories will go great with your Apple AirTags
Apple's AirTag doesn't have any hooks or adhesive for attaching to your precious items. Luckily there are plenty of accessories for that purpose, both from Apple and third parties.