A6 The BulleTin • SaTurday, May 22, 2021
Apple
Struum
Continued from A5
Continued from A5
Under friendly questioning
from a company lawyer, Cook
delivered polished remarks
that sometimes sounded like a
commercial for the iPhone and
other Apple products.
But the normally unflappa-
ble CEO occasionally seemed
flustered while being grilled by
Epic lawyer Gary Bornstein.
His unease was particularly ev-
ident when pressed about the
level of profits in a store that
Jobs initially thought would
be lucky to break even. He
seemed to stumble slightly
again when Bornstein con-
fronted him about a deal in
China that could compromise
user privacy, even as the com-
pany maintains that protecting
its customers’ personal infor-
mation is a top priority.
Cook, though, never wa-
vered during nearly four hours
of testimony from his position
that Apple’s grip on the app
store helps it keep things sim-
ple for a loyal customer base
that buys iPhones knowing
they getting “something that
just works.”
“They buy into an entire
ecosystem when they buy an
iPhone,” said Cook, who wore
a face shield, but no mask in
an Oakland, California, court-
room that has limited access
because of the pandemic.
It wasn’t at all clear that the
federal judge who will decide
the case was buying everything
Cook said on the stand.
After the lawyers were
done with their questioning,
U.S. District Judge Yvonne
Gonzalez Rogers asked why
Apple can’t allow rival stores
to offer an in-app transaction
option on iPhones, iPads and
iPods that might charge lower
commissions. That is some-
thing Epic is fighting to make it
happen, partly because it has a
still unprofitable store that im-
poses a 12% commission.
Gonzalez Rogers seemed
London-based Screen-
Hits TV recently launched
an app to help viewers see
what’s on all the differ-
ent streaming channels
through one TV Guide-like
system. Unlike Struum,
ScreenHits allows users to
see content on the stream-
ing services they already
subscribe to, including Net-
flix, Hulu and Amazon.
ScreenHits’ desktop version
is free, while its iOS app
charges 99 cents per month
and includes additional fea-
tures.
Companies such as Roku
and Amazon try to ag-
gregate streaming apps by
offering viewers different
services through a single
interface. Search engine
apps including JustWatch
and Reelgood help viewers
find the shows and mov-
ies they’re looking for, and
show users what series are
available through the differ-
ent providers.
“They’re all trying to
solve this issue because
consumers are just over-
whelmed,” said Parks As-
sociates research direc-
tor Steve Nason. “They
love that they have all this
choice, but that choice is
killing them.”
Struum’s business model
is unusual.
Subscribers will pay
$4.99 a month to receive
100 credits. Those credits
can then be used to pay for
a TV episode or movie —
say, “Planet of the Apes,” for
four credits — giving the
viewer access to that title for
30 days. Users can buy ad-
ditional credits through the
app, similar to Audible. A
TV show episode will cost
three to four credits, while
a feature film will cost five
to six.
Vicki Behringer via AP
This courtroom sketch shows Apple CEO Tim Cook being questioned Fri-
day by U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers during a trial
in California. Cook denied allegations he has been running an illegal
monopoly. It came during the closing phase of a trial revolving around
an antitrust case brought by Epic Games, maker of the popular video
game Fortnite.
particularly troubled by a sur-
vey indicating 39% of iPhone
app developers aren’t happy
with the current distribution
system. She also wondered
about the fairness of a commis-
sion system requiring the mak-
ers of video games pay the bulk
of the commissions, while dig-
ital services offered in other in-
dustries such as banking don’t
pay anything, even though
they are using the technology
that powers iPhones.
“The gaming industry seems
to be generating a dispropor-
tionate amount of money rel-
ative to the (intellectual prop-
erty) that you are giving them
and everybody else? In a sense
it’s almost as if they are subsi-
dizing everybody else,” Gonza-
lez Rogers said.
Cook agreed about the sub-
sidy, but insisted there is still
a fair balance because video
game makers are able to reach
a wider audience of consumers
who become players while vis-
iting the store looking at other
apps. He took issue with the
notion that most app makers
are unhappy with the store’s
current setup.
“We turn the place upside
down for developers,” Cook
said.
Gonzalez Rogers also didn’t
seem to buy Apple’s explana-
tion for a move it made last
year when it lowered its com-
mission on in-app commis-
sions to 15% on the first $1
million in revenue. Although
the price cut came after Epic
filed its antitrust case in Au-
gust, Apple said the discount
was driven by desire to provide
a helping hand during a pan-
demic-driven recession.
“At least what I’ve seen so far,
that really wasn’t the result of
competition, (but) the pressure
you were feeling,” Gonzalez
Rogers told Cook. Apple’s app
store practices are being ex-
amined by regulators and law-
makers in the U.S. and Europe
while Epic pursues its case.
Gonzalez Rogers is expected
to elaborate issues still weigh-
ing on her mind Monday when
she plans to pose questions to
lawyers on both sides while
they make their final points
before she takes the matter un-
der submission. It is expected
to take several weeks or even
months before the judge issues
decision that could reshape the
technology landscape.
OBITUARY
California
Continued from A5
That won’t mean an abrupt
end to wearing masks, he said,
but it will mean the state will
adjust its guidelines to corre-
spond to national guidelines.
Officials already announced
this week that they would wait
until mid-June to follow the
U.S. Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention’s new mask
guidelines that say it’s safe for
fully vaccinated people to skip
face coverings and social dis-
tancing in virtually all situa-
tions. The federal guidelines
state that everyone should still
wear masks in crowded indoor
locations such as airplanes,
buses, hospitals and prisons.
California’s workforce regu-
lators are separately developing
safety rules that will continue
to apply to employers, Ghaly
said.
The state will still require
vaccine verification or negative
test results within 72 hours for
indoor events with more than
5,000 attendees. But Ghaly said
that verification can be “by
self-attestation” with details to
come from health officials on
how that process will work.
State officials will also rec-
ommend that organizers of
outdoor events with more than
10,000 people require attend-
ees to provide verification that
they have been vaccinated or
have tested negative for the
coronavirus. Those who can’t
or don’t provide the verifica-
tion should be encouraged
by organizers to wear masks,
Ghaly said.
State officials do not antici-
pate that they will create or re-
quire a vaccination “passport”
or other formal verification,
he said. They will advise busi-
nesses and others that require
verification to do so “in a way
that doesn’t discriminate.”
The more than three weeks
of lead time before the changes
go into effect “will provide am-
ple time for our businesses,
organizations and residents to
prepare for these changes,” Los
Angeles County Supervisor
Kathryn Barger said.
Ghaly said California also
plans to follow federal CDC
guidelines on traveling domes-
tically and overseas.
That means travel will not be
discouraged except in cases of
countries where visiting is not
advised. Voluntary quarantines
for people returned to Califor-
nia will also be dropped.
“We have weathered the
storm, and I am hopeful that
this finally signals our return to
normalcy,” Barger said.
California was the first state
to issue a statewide shutdown
as the virus emerged in March
2020 and it was the nation’s
epicenter for the disease at the
start of 2021. More than 61,000
people have died from the vi-
rus in California, the most in
any state in the nation.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, a
Democrat, has said for weeks
that the state expected to gen-
erally lift most business and so-
cial restrictions by June 15.
“I think our shared objec-
tive has always been to get the
economy open as quickly as
we can by safely doing so,” said
Dee Dee Myers, director of the
Governor’s Office of Business
and Economic Development.
Newsom faces a recall election
this fall driven in large part
by those frustrated with his
restrictions during the pan-
demic.
“Restrictions around eat-
ing and drinking, open bars,
buffets, things like that will all
go away,” she said. People can
now also plan with certainty
for weddings, conventions and
large sporting events, “so that
was a really important mile-
stone as we move forward and
try to accelerate the reopening
and accelerate economic ac-
tivity.”
On some recent days, newly
reported infections in Califor-
nia have fallen below 1,000 and
there are currently just over
1,300 people hospitalized with
the virus. The state’s current
positivity rate is just 1%.
“We haven’t enjoyed that
level since the very early
months and weeks of the pan-
demic,” Ghaly said.
Lifting restrictions will inev-
itably result in some increased
transmissions, but the health
care system should be able to
handle them and local offi-
cials can still impose additional
limits if there are outbreaks,
he said. Health officials will
continue tracking whether vi-
rus mutations start breaking
through vaccinations, which
he said could mean renewed
health measures.
“We’re going to be watching
that very closely,” he said. “But
I think we are in a place state-
wide where we have a signifi-
cant number of people vacci-
nated and protected.”
Delores Hasha
May 21, 1928 - April 23, 2021
Delores Hasha, 92 years
of age was born May
21, 1928, in the lovely
community of West Allis,
Wisconsin, and peacefully
passed away on April 23,
2021.
DeeDee, as she was
aff ecti onately
called,
was married to Wally for
68 years when he sadly
passed away in 2018. They were reunited on their 71st
wedding anniversary when DeeDee passed away and
once again found her safe place with her beloved Wally.
She oft en described their marriage as living the life of
Disneyland. Their family truly admired and aspired to
have such a loving and devoted marriage as theirs was.
Dee and Wally had two children, Rory and Rodney,
and they had a very close relati onship with Dee’s sister
Ashley, who also lived with them in beauti ful Tarzana,
California.
Delores was an academic. She was an excellent student;
she simply loved the writt en word and learning. She
became a registered nurse and then conti nues on aft er
her children were grown, to pursue her bachelor’s
degree in Health Science. She graduated from Chapman
College in Los Angeles and practi ced nursing unti l she
was well into her seventi es.
DeeDee had many interests some of which were her
seamstress skills. Whether she was making a gorgeous
wedding dress for her daughter, a beauti ful prom dress
for her sister, or skillfully upholstering furniture, Dee
mastered each one. She was proud of their lovely homes
and she always added her personal decorati ng touch
to ensure visitors felt welcomed and well taken care of.
When they were not at home, DeeDee and Wally loved
traveling in their RV, seeing with great curiosity, every
corner of our beauti ful country.
Dee was revered and loved by her family and she will be
deeply missed. She and Wally were the cornerstone of
their family and decades of sweet memories will always
be close to their hearts.
Delores’s survivors are her daughter, Rory O’Brien, and
son, Rodney Hasha and his wife, Charlene, all residing in
Bend. Her sister, Ashley Shobe also resides in Bend. Gary
Shobe, her brother-in-law has preceded her in death.
DeeDee has four grandchildren, 10 great-
grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. She
has also left behind numerous nieces and
nephews that loved her as well.
Funeral arrangements have been made by
Niswonger-Reynolds Funeral Home in
Bend. Private Memorial Service will be
held at a later date.
“It’s another front door for
the user,” DeVillier said. “We’re
letting you dip in and dip out
of these services.”
The catch is that Struum
won’t have the big streamers,
such as Netflix, Amazon Prime
Video, Hulu, HBO Max, Dis-
ney+ and Discovery+. Instead,
the company has deals with
more niche services that are
looking for ways to increase
their reach. Cinedigm, for ex-
ample, had about 640,000 sub-
scribers as of April.
The biggest streaming com-
panies are doing everything
they can to increase “scale”
— size and reach — on their
own. Disney+ and Netflix are
spending billions of dollars on
original content and don’t need
to share revenue with an app
like Struum to help with their
marketing. AT&T on Mon-
day announced a deal to spin
off WarnerMedia, the parent
of HBO Max, in a $43-billion
merger with Discovery Com-
munications.
But Eisner predicts that
some bigger players will
eventually get on board with
Struum if it is successful.
“If you get big enough, a
company like ViacomCBS
would find a way to introduce
consumers to their really good
product through Struum,” he
said. “I think they will find
over time that it’s just another
avenue to bring people to their
portal.”
For now, Struum thinks
there’s a lucrative big business
in aggregating the content
from the 250 or so services
that represent the more ob-
scure end of the streaming in-
dustry.
For the smaller streamers,
being on Struum is a chance
to get their names out there
and get more subscribers. If a
user watches a lot of Magnolia
content, for example, Struum
will suggest subscribing to
Magnolia’s stand-alone service.
Struum will split revenue with
providers based on what mov-
ies and shows users watch by
spending their credits.
With the combined cost of
the major streaming services
already rivaling the cable bun-
dle, it’s unclear whether view-
ers will want to pay for yet an-
other service to package a lot of
content from the more minor
players in the streaming wars.
Parks Associates’ Nason said
consumers may be happy with
finding content on the various
apps without help from a third
party.
“Do most consumers want
to sign up for this other thing,
or am I just fine taking 10
minutes to find something to
watch on Netflix?” he said.
OBITUARY
James Mortensen, M.D.
June 30, 1930 - May 4, 2021
Jim W. Mortensen died peacefully from lung cancer at
his home May 4, 2021 with his family at his side. He was
born on June 30, 1930 to George
and Alice Mortensen in Dillon
Montana. His father owned and
operated a restaurant by the
railroad and Jim remembers all
the free lunches he had there.
He was the middle child with two
sisters: Colleen and Ruth. The
family moved to various small
towns in Montana, including
Choteau, where his father was a
cook. With the start of WWII, they moved to Bremerton,
WA to be part of the war eff ort. Jim had his fi rst job
selling papers at the shipyard at the age of 8 and was
very proud of his pass to get into the heavily guarded
area. In 1944, at the age of 14, the family boarded The
North Sea steamship, and headed to Petersburg, Alaska.
Jim developed a love for the Alaska life of hunti ng and
fi shing and even learning Norwegian in school. His father
conti nued in the restaurant business, advising his son
that the feeding or healing people was the most valuable
work in life. Aft er graduati ng high school, Jim joined the
Air Force as the Korean War started and became an Air
Force base postmaster. Circulati ng through the hospital
delivering mail, he discovered his passion for life, that of
medicine.
He met his wife Lily Miligan while in the Air Force and
they were transferred to England for two years, where his
daughter Julie and son George were born. Aft er the war,
on the GI bill, Jim studied premed at OSU and then went
to medical school at what is now OHSU. Aft er fi nishing
medical school, the family moved to Ketchikan, AK and
he began practi cing primary care medicine, and was also
the town’s veterinarian for a short while. Jim had many
amazing experiences being a fronti er physician, handling
various emergencies from airplane crashes, mine
explosions and delivering babies in upstairs bathrooms.
He had many stories of his life fl ying a fl oat plane and
taking his boat over the waters and islands of SE Alaska
providing health care and occasionally catching fi sh.
Aft er reti rement he left Alaska for Bellevue, WA and
a new career in ophthalmology, with his children now
grown and having their own lives in Alaska.
Aft er the death of his wife from breast cancer, he
moved to Bend, OR in 1998 to reti re and start a new
life of skiing. On the slopes of Mt Bachelor, he found a
new companion Doralee Mortensen, a reti red nurse,
and they were married in 2004 at Timberline Lodge
inbetween ski runs. They began 20 years of skiing,
hiking, birding, and traveling to far fl ung area of the
world, loving what Bend and the world had to off er. He
led a full life of love and laughter, enjoying his 2 adult
children, 9 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.
He will always be remembered for his storytelling, his
poetry, his willingness to help anyone in need, his love of
the outdoors, and his gentle ways. “Always a gentleman”
was a frequent descripti on by all who knew this special
man. He will be greatly missed by family and friends.
Jim is survived by his wife, Doralee Mortensen, daughter,
Julie Jarvi, son, George Mortensen, stepchildren, Jennie
Salyer and Christopher McArthur, 9 grandchildren, and
14 great grandchildren, and 1 great-great granddaughter.
By his request there will be no immediate funeral
services. His ashes will eventually be placed in the family
plot in Petersburg, Alaska.
Donati ons in his name can be made to East Cascade
Audubon Society, PO Box 565, Bend, OR 97709 or
Deschutes Land Trust, 210 NW Irving Avenue, Suite 102,
Bend OR 97703.