EPISODE · Sep 30, 2025 · 58 MIN
Season 6, Episode 11: iWar, and Apple's struggle to preserve its App Store empire (with Tim Higgins)
from Mobile Dev Memo Podcast · host MobileDevMemo
In this episode of the podcast, I speak with The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins about his new book, iWar: Fortnite, Elon Musk, Spotify, WeChat, and Laying Siege to Apple's Empire. iWar traces a series of campaigns launched against Apple's control of the iOS App Store, including those from Spotify, Epic, Meta, and Elon Musk. Higgins chronicles the rise of the App Store from its launch in 2008, contextualizing Apple's vigorous defense of its iOS business practices with its broader pattern of testing the boundaries of legal and ethical standards.Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:Xsolla. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.INCRMNTAL. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.Universal Ads is Comcast’s self-serve TV ads platform that lets you launch campaigns in minutes across premium inventory from NBC, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, Roku, and more.Interested in advertising in the Mobile Dev Memo newsletter or podcast? Get in touch.
What this episode covers
In this episode of the podcast, I speak with The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins about his new book, iWar: Fortnite, Elon Musk, Spotify, WeChat, and Laying Siege to Apple's Empire. iWar traces a series of campaigns launched against Apple's control of the iOS App Store, including those from Spotify, Epic, Meta, and Elon Musk. Higgins chronicles the rise of the App Store from its launch in 2008, contextualizing Apple's vigorous defense of its iOS business practices with its broader pattern of testing the boundaries of legal and ethical standards.Thanks to the sponsors of this week’s episode of the Mobile Dev Memo podcast:Xsolla. With the Xsolla Web Shop, you can create a direct storefront, cut fees down to as low as 5%, and keep players engaged with bundles, rewards, and analytics.INCRMNTAL. True attribution measures incrementality, always on.Universal Ads is Comcast’s self-serve TV ads platform that lets you launch campaigns in minutes across premium inventory from NBC, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, Roku, and more.Interested in advertising in the Mobile Dev Memo newsletter or podcast? Get in touch.
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Season 6, Episode 11: iWar, and Apple's struggle to preserve its App Store empire (with Tim Higgins)
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