• Apple has grabbed the headlines after its clash with Fortnite.
• The $2 trillion market valuation is set to slip in the short-term.
• Updates on the US economy and the Fortnite fallout are set to rock AAPL stock.

No Fortnite for iPhone users – Apple's decision is set to take its toll on AAPL shareholders. It does not take being a gamer to be familiar with Epic Games' addictive digital entertainment product and to understand its importance to any provider.

While existing users of Fortnite will be able to use old versions of the game, existing users and new ones cannot download the latest controversial version. Epic introduced a feature that offers a discount to players that buy it directly from the maker rather than from Apple.

The giant tech firm takes 30 cents from every dollar spent within an application and the discount means less revenue. Apple said that Epic Games' move violates its guidelines, which prohibit circumventing the Cupertino-based firm's payment system.

The Fortnite furor could turn into an epic clash – it could lead others to rebel against Apple's high cut and, hurting Apple's reputation and potentially hurting its income from in-app purchases. Epic Games launched a court-case against AAPL and also published a short ad called Nineteen Eighty Fortnite – a reference to George Orwell's dystopian 1984 classic book.

Rival Google (GOOGL) has a somewhat more lenient policy around payments, yet iPhone users tend to be more affluent and splash more cash.

AAPL Stock Chart

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AAPL closed Thursday's session at around $460, giving it a market value of just under $2 trillion. Shares of the company led by Tim Cook are changing hands under that level in pre-market trading, showing the impact of Apple's fight with Fortnite.

It is essential to remember that Apple is also influenced by the broader market mood. After US jobless claims beat estimates and kept stocks bid, investors' focus shifts to retail sales and consumer sentiment. Additional signs of recovery in the world's largest economy could help shares advance, pushing AAPL higher despite the clash around Fortnite.