>imagine the market leader (with a near monopoly) getting the government to shut down the competition claiming it’s “anti-competitive”
Only in the Orwellian EU protectionist police state…
Only in the Orwellian EU protectionist police state…
Good point. And what about the massive slotting fees that grocery store distributors charge? The manufacturer could market directly to the grocery store, but they know the grocery store will prefer to order through the distributor. The distributor is charging a fee for this because they are providing a value.I have never seen any legal action relating to supermarkets shelf stocking fees. The fees are a red-herring. If the government tries to step in and regulate them, I sense a SCOTUS challenge.
What I would like is a way to set Spotify as the auto play app when I connect to Bluetooth speakers (or a car), or better yet stop auto play from happening. It usually forgets within minutes of not using Spotify that I was listening to a song there and just starts the music app (and sometimes it takes pressing play a few times before Music gives up control). The most obnoxious (yet very rare) behaviour is when it stops playing midway through a song and just decided to switch to Music. I tried deleting the Music app but then the phone refuses to play any music on some of the speakers and cars
Agree with the EU. Apple forcing everyone to use ApplePay for in-app purchase is anti-competitive. If they are worried about security/data privacy. Create a standard/code of conduct for other payment processors to adhere to before allowing them to operate within the AppStore. ApplePay is easy and convenient, so I suspect most app devs would choose it anyway.
I would not be surprised if Apple starting charging to host subscription based apps that do not offer IAP or requiring those that link to outside purchase to offer the same price as an IAP.
That'll be the week after they pull out of China...
And Apple are increasingly resembling the Microsoft of the 00s and it’s not a good look. I’m sad that they’ve become this way.
Like Microsoft, it’s using its size to wipe out any far smaller competitors and give its own services unfair advantages. This is a problem given Apple’s size, as the EU ruling points out.
It is funny how people on here defend Apple no matter what. The EU charge is right. Apple is competing in the appstore and due to the fees, other similar services cost more. Why should Spotify or anybody else have to lower their standard price just so they can make the price look the same due to the Apple fee but get less money than Apple?
lol, its fine to love the brand but sometimes it is also ok to criticize them when they are doing wrong.
I think you’re right, apple *does* deserve to run their platform the way they want to, even to grant themselves an advantage. However, no company has a right to control such a massive portion of the app store market. They may have earned it fair and square, they may have worked hard to be the best, but it doesn’t really matter because EU citizens deserve to set the rules of the economy, and what’s in the citizen’s best interest is more competition in the app store market space, which is dominated by basically identical two stores: apple’s and google’s.
I feel badly that apple and google will lose out despite having done nothing wrong, but they have been profiting from a system poorly designed for a digital economy. And while that may be a policy shortcoming, not an apple shortcoming, it nonetheless is important that the EU protect the right of the citizen, even if it comes at the expense of the two market dominant corporations.
No, They made the money when they sold you the device.
Ridiculous. Spotify and others license Apple APIs and software. They also pay for the Apple devices they use. So do their customers with iOS devices.
Considering this, where will it ever be ok to for a company to bill for products and digital services that one does not even sell, much less distribute or produce, just because it owns the billing cash register that no one can.
You keep your phone “locked” by paying attention to what you download and install.
who cares what epics does with the Epic store. If you want to use Epics apps you get them from their store. Easy peasy. Is it as convenient? Nope but certainly not that hard.
May not happen like that.This seems like a never ending process. Just get on with it EU and force Apple to change.
Probably not. Knowing the EU they will huff and puff and end up doing nothing.May not happen like that.
Whether or not anything is happening and whether or not Apple is actually doing anything illegal or contrary to anti-trust laws, it sure is sending a message to Apple.Probably not. Knowing the EU they will huff and puff and end up doing nothing.
Part of the licensing arrangement includes revenue sharing for profits from customers who subscribe from app leveraging that intellectual property. To me if you want an example of crazy consider that Steam also charge 30% to merely be a distribution platform and billing platform. Yet some how plenty of folk put their games on Steam.
I think in part the equivalent of this in the iBookstore situation, the MFN clause, got them into trouble in that market. It's possible that if they did it more generically maybe they wouldn't get hit by it, it seemed like the publishers had been conspiring and then Apple essentially proposed something that met their conspiracy which lead to it's own conviction.
This seems like a never ending process. The EU need to make a decision.
Even easier, just charge $12,99 for Apple MusicThis is easily fixed by Apple: allow Spotify to link to their website for payment.
I’d like apple to explain how that would be a bad thing.
Good point. And what about the massive slotting fees that grocery store distributors charge? The manufacturer could market directly to the grocery store, but they know the grocery store will prefer to order through the distributor. The distributor is charging a fee for this because they are providing a value.
Yes, what business is it of the government to decide what a reasonable fee is? I agree this will almost certainly end up in the Supreme Court. Not the EU case, obviously — but I think they are watching what happens in the US.
You have multiple Grocery store to choose from. And low entry barrier for competition. The State doesn't force its citizen to only buy from one Grocery Store either.
After Apple pulls out of the U.S., seeing as the European market has 200,000,000+ more people, i.e. never. There would be a shareholder revolt at the mere suggestion of doing so.At what point does apple pull out of europe?
You also have multiple phone OS' to chose from, the barriers to entry for developers is low, and the state forces no one to use a specific OS either.
You also have multiple phone OS' to chose from, the barriers to entry for developers is low, and the state forces no one to use a specific OS either.
Epic's Game Store on the desktop buys exclusive access to content produced by other companies going so far as to remove those games from competing stores (case in point Ubisoft's Anno was removed from Steam after Epic paid Ubisoft to make it exclusive). It's quite bothersome that I have the App Store, Microsoft's updater tool, EA's Origin launcher, Steam, GOG and obviously Epic's launcher. I quite like how on iOS there is a single store front that has all of the apps, they update out of a single place and I don't have to remember who bought whom to figure out which launcher an app came from.
Doesn’t Apple do this now. Force you to be locked? So your upset that some one else is following apples lead.And if Epic purchases exclusivity rights to a popular app, I would be forced to “unlock” my device to allow side loading.
That are multiple versions of Android, as well as some lesser Linux based or custom OS' to chose from; there are plenty of grocery stores to chose from. That a significant number of users choose iOS shows that it delivers what customers want.You have TWO OS to choose from. The OS platform is the State. And the so called Grocery Store is the App Store. And there is only one Grocery Store allowed.
Digital businesses are run towards customers not OSs. If one in two your customers are using an iOS device, their choice, you don’t have the option.
People don’t buy a smartphone based on who they will pay for apps and their digital services, they don’t really care. Yet they are falling into a trap!
A trap?
The in app purchase policy and process created by Apple is built in a way that totally and absolutely confuses customers.
He or she have no idea that is moving out of the App (a place) to the App Store (another place) in order to pay.
Users may think that is Spotify that is billing, it is not. Than if they go to the Apple Music … exactly same thing, yet they simply see a lower price, ”Oh Spotify is more expensive they think”.
There is no customer awareness of what is going on, and any attempts to inform the customer in the App (a thing that is not Apple property) are forbidden by policy, with the risk of being expelled from installing their App on their customers devices.
The only reason I use iPhones is that it is forced to be a locked system. If the government FORCED Apple to be an unlocked system like Android, what is the benefit? Android devices are far cheaper and really better hardware wise.Doesn’t Apple do this now. Force you to be locked? So your upset that some one else is following apples lead.
So it’s what you want……The only reason I use iPhones is that it is forced to be a locked system. If the government FORCED Apple to be an unlocked system like Android, what is the benefit? Android devices are far cheaper and really better hardware wise.
The Platform is the State, then you have "at best" multiple State to choose from, not multiple grocery stores. Having all the user using the same grocery store inside the state does not equal to what customer want without giving them a choice. Your choice is telling the customer to move to another state if you want another grocery store. And that state currently holds ~70% of US citizens and 75% of U.S. total App Store revenues with zero grocery stores competition.That are multiple versions of Android, as well as some lesser Linux based or custom OS' to chose from; there are plenty of grocery stores to chose from. That a significant number of users choose iOS shows that it delivers what customers want.
Sure. Don't go into that business if you don't like the competitive landscape.
Because Spotify decided to be butt headed about it; their issue not Apple's.
Because Apple, like any other store, doesn't let a seller advertise they can buy the same product in a competitor's store