Apple strikes back at Epic Games, Android 11 is here and Microsoft announces a new stripped-down Xbox. This is your Daily Crunch for September 8, 2020.
\nThe big story: Apple files countersuit against Epic
\nApple has made the latest move in a legal battle against Epic Games, filing a lawsuit claiming that the company behind Fortnite is in breach of contract.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough Epic portrays itself as a modern corporate Robin Hood, in reality it is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that simply wants to pay nothing for the tremendous value it derives from the App Store,\u201d Apple wrote in its suit.
\nThis follows Epic\u2019s attempt in August to avoid Apple\u2019s 30% App Store fee, which led to Apple removing Fortnite and eventually Epic from the App Store. (Accounts tied to Epic\u2019s Unreal game engine have not been removed.) Epic then launched a lawsuit and a PR campaign against Apple, arguing that the company is abusing its market power.
\nThe tech giants
\nAndroid 11 has arrived \u2014 Android 11 isn\u2019t a radical departure, but there are a number of interesting new user-facing updates that mostly center around messaging, privacy and giving you better control over all of your smart devices.
\nMicrosoft confirms compact, $299 Xbox Series S arriving on November 10 \u2014 The Series S is essentially a stripped-down version of the upcoming Series X, without true 4K rendering and with a lot less processing power.
\nApple\u2019s next event is September 15 \u2014 The event will almost certainly feature the new Apple Watch.
\nStartups, funding and venture capital
\nGeneral Motors takes $2 billion stake in electric truck startup Nikola \u2014 Through the deal, GM gets 11% ownership in startup Nikola, and will, in turn, produce Nikola\u2019s wild fuel cell pickup truck by the end of 2022.
\nSilver Lake leads $500 million investment round in Indian online learning giant Byju\u2019s \u2014 The round values the Indian online learning platform at $10.8 billion.
\nProgress snags software automation platform Chef for $220M \u2014 Progress, a Boston-area developer tool company, is boosting its offerings in a big way.
\nAdvice and analysis from Extra Crunch
\nHow to respond to a data breach \u2014 How a company responds to a data breach can make or break its reputation.
\n9 proptech investors talk co-living, home offices and other pandemic trends \u2014 TechCrunch surveyed nine firms that are writing checks today, and this second installment focuses on the opportunities and risks for startups.
\nJFrog\u2019s IPO strong initial price range values it ahead of the larger Sumo Logic \u2014 The IPO wave continues to crest as a number of well-known technology companies line up to float their equity on American exchanges.
\n(Reminder: Extra Crunch is our subscription membership program, which aims to democratize information about startups. You can sign up here.)
\nEverything else
\n\u2018Mulan\u2019 drove Disney+ app downloads up 68% week-over-week, but didn\u2019t beat \u2018Hamilton\u2019 \u2014 According to early data, the launch helped grow Disney+ mobile installs by 68%, compared with one week prior.
\nOriginal Content podcast: \u2018Teenage Bounty Hunters\u2019 is more interested in relationships than bounty hunting \u2014 Despite the show\u2019s silly name, we ended up surprisingly invested in the characters.
\nDrew Houston will talk about building a startup and digital transformation during COVID at TechCrunch Disrupt \u2014 This is next week!
\nThe Daily Crunch is TechCrunch\u2019s roundup of our biggest and most important stories. If you\u2019d like to get this delivered to your inbox every day at around 3pm Pacific, you can subscribe here.<\/p>\n