This week in Apple: Lawyering up for Fortnite battle, iPhone 12 battery rumors

This week in Apple news we heard more about Apple’s Fortnite woes. Not only are iPhones with Fortnite already installed going for thousands of dollars on the used market, but Apple is hiring some high-profile lawyers to ready itself for a big fight.

In other Apple news, we heard some rumors related to the iPhone 12 battery, its possible release date (although we are doubtful), a new repair program for Macs, and news related to shows on the Apple TV Plus service.

See the Apple news roundup below for all the latest.

The top Apple news stories of the past week:

• The Fortnite vs Apple war continues: Earlier this week, Apple stood fast in its battle with Epic Games — creator of the massive gaming hit Fortnite — when it comes to the policies of the Apple App Store. In a statement to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple said it “won’t make an exception for Epic [Games] because we don’t think it’s right to put their business interests ahead of the guidelines that protect our customers.”
• Apple hires firm that helped it fight Samsung: Remember when Apple and Samsung were at each other’s throats in court? Well, Apple just hired the same firm it used for those legal battles to help it win the Fortnite battle. Gibson Dunn headed up the Apple v. Samsung bout while also advising against Apple in its fight with Qualcomm. Lawyers, amirite?
• Fortnite-powered iPhones selling for big bucks: Although you can’t get Fortnite from the Apple App Store right now, if you have it already installed on your phone you can still play it. Enterprising folks are taking advantage of this by selling iPhones with Fortnite installed for thousands of dollars. People really, really love Fortnite.
• iPhone 12 battery board could be simpler (cheaper): The upcoming slate of 5G-powered iPhone 12 devices will be expensive to create. Allegedly, Apple is trying to keep the manufacturing costs down to avoid raising consumer pricing too high. Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple could go with a lower-quality battery board as part of its cost-cutting efforts. It isn’t clear how this might affect iPhone battery life, but is interesting nonetheless.
• Apple gets fans in a tizzy over possible iPhone launch date: The official Apple YouTube channel uploaded a live stream placeholder simply titled “TEST.” While this is no big deal, the date of the live stream was September 10. Could this be the date of the iPhone 12 live stream launch? That’s what a lot of people thought, but we don’t buy it. September 10 is a Thursday and Apple almost always does launches on Tuesdays. Also, September 10 was last year’s launch date, so it’s likely this “test” video was just a clone of last year’s. Move along, nothing to see here.
• Independent repair program expands for Macs: It’s long been a contentious fact that getting an Apple product repaired by a company that’s not Apple is difficult. However, the company just expanded its Independent Repair Provider Program to include Macs. Previously, only out-of-warranty iPhones were covered. That’s a good change!
• Get ready for a country music competition show: Apple just inked a deal for a new music competition show centered on country music. My Kind of Country (ugh) will be an Apple TV Plus exclusive. No release date was announced.
• Apple renews Ted Lasso after just a week: The Jason Sudeikis comedy Ted Lasso is an Apple TV Plus exclusive. Less than a week after the show’s premiere, positive press has caused Apple to renew it for a second season. The second season is on a fast-track schedule with a launch date of next year.

Thinking about making the switch?

If you are reading this Apple news article on an iOS device and thinking about making the switch to Android, we have multiple articles and guides that can help you with that process. Despite how it might seem, moving from iOS to Android is easier than ever, and many of the services and systems on iOS have similar or even the same counterparts on Android.

The best place to start would be our guide on how to switch from iPhone to Android, which goes over all the basics. We also have more specific guides, such as how to transfer your calendar from iPhone to Android. We also have app guides that will give you the best alternatives to iOS staples, such as our list of best alternatives to FaceTime on Android.

If you’re looking for a great Android device to replace your iPhone, consult our list of the best Android smartphones available now.