U.S. Judge Apple’s Tim Cook has made it clear in the final minutes of the Epic trial that the Court is new

U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers addresses Apple CEO Tim Cook as why the iPhone maker won’t allow users to buy cheaper virtual goods and content directly from developers.

Apple Inc.’s chances of winning the antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games Inc. appeared so certain on Friday when Judge raised with CEO Tim Cook as to whether his company is competitively targeting its app market.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers told Cook why the iPhone maker won’t allow users to buy cheaper virtual product and content directly from developers – and only allows it to be purchased through Apple’s own App Store. case.

For the first time he testified at a trial, Cook answered questions for more than two hours in federal court in Oakland, California, after a three-week trial ended in a high-stakes fight between the companies.

“What is it that allows users, especially in the context of gaming, to have cheaper access to content?” Gonzalez Rogers asked.

Cook, who witnessed intense court inquiries in the final minutes of the testimony, said consumers “now have the opportunity” to buy cheaper Android phones from the iPhone.

Gonzalez Rogers pressed further by asking Cook, who asked “what’s Apple’s problem” if users wanted to pay less outside the App Store to buy V-Bucks, the currency used in Epic’s hit game Fortnite.

“Basically, we would provide the full benefit of our IP,” Cook replied, referring to the company’s intellectual property owner.

Epic complained in August that Apple had withdrawn from the Fortnite App Store in August because the developer had come up with a solution that required it not to continue to pay a 30% fee on customer app purchases. Epic claims that App Store policies harm developers and frustrate competition.

Cook, the 60-year-old CEO, who has been CEO since 2011, has backed Epic’s claims that the App Store is squeezing profits with unfair policies and self-serving.

Cook testified that it would be “horrible” for iPhone and iPad users if the court ordered the company to allow third-party app markets, in addition to its own App Store, as required by Epic.

“It would be a big convenience issue, but fraud issues would also go up,” Cook said, adding that customers would have to enter credit card information multiple times.