Category: Apple

Apple and Epic have found themselves locked in an intense legal battle over allowing purchases outside of the App Store payments system and over whether Apple was a monopoly. While Epic could not prove the latter, it did chalk up a big win on the former, assuming the ruling stands.

Update, 9/10/21: Added Apple and Epic comments on the ruling.

Judge Rules on Apple Versus Epic Fortnite Case

As first reported by The Verge, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers issued a ruling in the ongoing Apple versus Epic case. She issued a permanent injunction that says Apple is “permanently restrained and enjoined from prohibiting developers from including in their apps and their metadata buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms.”

That means that developers, such as Epic, can direct people to in-app payment methods outside of the App Store, thus preventing Apple from taking 30% of the transaction.

However, it’s important to note that this won’t start until December 9, 2021, which is 90 days from the ruling.

Even more important to note is that Apple will almost certainly exhaust every appeal available to it in an attempt to reverse the ruling.

The ruling also stated that Apple can’t prevent developers from “communicating with customers through points of contact obtained voluntarily from customers through account registration within the app.” This means that developers can use the contact information obtained through the App Store to reach out to customers, similar to the ruling offered by the Japan Fair Trade Commission.

Epic also claimed that Apple was a monopoly with the current App Store situation. However, Judge Gonzalez-Rogers ruled that “the court cannot ultimately conclude that Apple is a monopolist under either federal or state antitrust laws. Nonetheless, the trial did show that Apple is engaging in anticompetitive conduct under California’s competition laws.”

The crucial nuance here: I’ve seen some folks saying Apple has been found to *not* be a monopolist in the Epic Games verdict. That’s not quite right. The judge said Epic failed to *prove* Apple a monopolist–but she was careful to leave open the possibility that it is. pic.twitter.com/ArNvV6Owed

— Will Oremus (@WillOremus) September 10, 2021

Essentially, that means that Epic couldn’t convince the court that Apple is a monopoly, but it doesn’t unequivocally mean that Apple isn’t one.

Additionally, Epic will be forced to pay Apple $3.65 million, which is 30% of the $12,167,719 Epic earned from Fortnite iOS players between August and October 2020, when Epic used its payment system without permission. On top of that, Epic must pay Apple 30% of the revenue it earned through that method between November 1st and today.

What Does This Mean for You?

As mentioned, this will likely be appealed to by Apple in every way it can. That means it could change nothing in terms of the App Store of the mobile payment landscape, or it could change everything.

This could affect both iPhone and Android users if it does stick, as Google has a similar case with Epic. If everything goes through, we could see Google Play developers cut Google out of the process like the judge has allowed App Store developers to.

Learning to use a 35mm film camera can be intimidating. There’s no screen to check, so you need some way to gauge exposure without burning through frames the way you would with a digital SLR. A light meter app can save the day.

Why Do You Need a Light Meter?

If the film camera you picked up was well-maintained, its internal light meter might be working fine. But many of them degrade over time and give you an exposure reading that’s at least a little off. If you have the cash, you could spring for a dedicated light meter.

Or you could just use your smartphone.

Here we’ll cover how to use a couple of popular light meter apps with your 35mm film camera (or 120mm film if you’re fancy). But first, a primer on how they work.

How Do Light Meter Apps Work?

Light meter apps use your phone’s internal light meter to measure exposure, much like it does automatically when you use your phone’s camera to take a photo or video. That means that how well the app works will depend on your phone’s capabilities. If the camera doesn’t perform well in low light, the app won’t be able to accurately meter in lower light because the sensor doesn’t work as well as the one in a newer phone might.

Keep in mind that, depending on your phone’s light sensor and camera capabilities, some functions might not work at all. Some apps might work better with your particular phone than others. We recommend that you download and test multiple apps to find which ones work best for you.

Smartphone Light Meter Apps to Help You Shoot Film

Whether you’re an iPhone or Android user, there’s a light meter app for you. Some may be a bit confusing to read at first, but they’re pretty easy to get the hang of.

Here is a couple you can download and try today. This isn’t an exhaustive list, just a few of the more popular apps available now.

myLightMeter Pro (iPhone)/Light Meter (Android)

You can find this app developed by David Quiles on iPhone and Android with a slightly different name but the same look. You’ll know it by the old-school interface designed to look like a vintage film light meter.

The app’s look is super stylish but might intimidate you if you’ve never used a light meter before. You set the ISO of whatever film you’re using, say 400. Then, the app will measure exposure according to that film speed and present you with shutter speed and aperture settings by turning the central dial.