Apple judge presses Cook hard in final minutes of Epic trial

Apple Inc.’s chances of winning an antitrust trial brought by Epic Games Inc. appeared less certain Friday after the judge put chief executive officer Tim Cook on the spot over claims that his company’s app marketplace is anticompetitive.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers needled Cook on why the iPhone maker won’t give users the option to buy lesser-priced virtual goods and content directly from developers — and only allows purchases through Apple’s own App Store, an issue at the heart of the the case.

Legal experts gave Apple the advantage going into the trial, but there was a palpable shift during an intense exchange in the final minutes of Cook’s testimony when the judge voiced skepticism about