Apple 'Playing Hard-Ball' in Appeal Against UK's Investigation Into Platform Restrictions

[Unregistered 4U]

Don't create a monopoly and you will be fine as long as they insist on that.

Don’t allow a monopoly from day one and companies will understand clearly what’s expected to do business in the UK. I mean, Apple didn’t “sneak” and create the iPhone, then “sneak” and provided an OS for it, and then “sneak” and put it on sale in shops and then “sneak” and created a programming environment for it, and then “sneak” and created an App Store and then “sneak” and allowed developers in the UK to create apps to publish on that store. The UK government saw EVERYTHING that Apple was doing and were perfectly fine with it, signing off on each thing they wanted to do. They could have said, “Nope, no iPhone in the UK, we’re sure that’s not a thing our citizens would like.” and we wouldn’t be here.

 

[webkit]

Take the top two competitors in any field and - hey! presto! - it's a 'duopoly'...

No, not typically. For the top two competitors in a market to be considered to a duopoly, they (together) generally have to control a significant portion of that market. If, for example, there are 20 players in a market and the top two have something like 8% and 6% (14% combined) of the market, they wouldn't likely be considered a duopoly. However, if the top two in the field had something like 45% and 35% (80% combined) then they would likely be considered a duopoly.

 

[jlc1978]

This is just an investigation and Apple's response is you're not allowed to investigate us this long. Lmao.

If the rules specify time limits then yes that is a reason to cancel the investigation if the government exceeds it.

 

[Naraxus]

The EU and North America are to date one of the most democratic continents/unions out there, it's quasi a neck-and-neck race.
View attachment 2146438

If you take a closer look at North America, yes it has a slightly better Democracy Index Value, but just because of Canada. USA itself has a flawed democracy, and is the one that drags the North America stats down.
USA alone is below the EU when it comes to democracy.
View attachment 2146436

I find it remarkable that the EU, who has multiple countries with a flawed democracy, which is much harder to fix due to country and cultural differences between these countries, is having a neck-and-neck democracy race with a 2 country continent and surpasses the USA. The Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act are exactly one of those things why the EU is above the USA when it comes to democracy.

I'm in Germany with a full democracy. 😜
Just to make clear, I have nothing against the US, love it, and I also have family there, a great country despite it's flawed democracy. 😁


So don't overrate the US democracy, nor is the EU democracy to be overrated.

Anyway, the AppStore will stay, just like the Google AppStore still exist, despite Android's side-loading capabilities.

The Economist Democracy Index - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The US isn't a democracy

 

[JapanApple]

Might end with Tim Cook behind the bars if they don't comply, but probably more with a sales stop in whole EU and UK. Maybe even in the US, laws are cooking, Cook will get hot cooked.
Apple is dumb, they are just feeding the lawyers, it's inevitable Apple will have to open up around the world

That being said, Apple hasn't become what they are from nothing. From the standpoint of your comment, hackers want this to happen. But those that have been there done that with hacking, I want a safe environment, not a free for all. This might cause it.

 

[genovelle]

Don't create a monopoly and you will be fine as long as they insist on that. People defending Apple by saying "yOu CaN jUsT uSe AnDrOiD" does not understand that a monopoly is not about having other options.
It is about a player eating into the free market by being so big (either by choice or not). It, therefore, has to take on a more considerable responsibility that goes outside regular business expectations/requirements.

Just look at Google. When your company name becomes a verb for "Searching online", you are getting to that point. Apple is getting there too.

How do you have a monopoly with services you allow other
Companies to use for profit and for free if you are not directly profiting from their APIs or attempting to use their marketing for free as in this case.

 

[genovelle]

That being said, Apple hasn't become what they are from nothing. From the standpoint of your comment, hackers want this to happen. But those that have been there done that with hacking, I want a safe environment, not a free for all. This might cause it.

You make an excellent point

 

[Shirasaki]

The flood gate has opened. This is the cost of being too big and too successful.
Ever remember the dark sky? Apple adopted nothing. The only thing they do is killing it for good.
I am more than happy for the entire world to regulate international tech giants. They Must know this the hard way: you cannot get away from doing literally anything, including unlawful and anti-competitive behaviours.

 

[svish]

Legal pressures for Apple. But Apple will have to follow the law.

 

[George Dawes]

They should turn their attention to the disgraceful BBC instead

 

[H2SO4]

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This is the right moment! Pull out of UK. /S

I think you're actually right. Brexit has left the UK in a precarious position.

 

[BvizioN]

Might end with Tim Cook behind the bars if they don't comply, but probably more with a sales stop in whole EU and UK. Maybe even in the US, laws are cooking, Cook will get hot cooked.
Apple is dumb, they are just feeding the lawyers, it's inevitable Apple will have to open up around the world

This is the kind of post that is difficult to guess if it is serious or being sarcastic. But it is hard to image this being serious.

 

[Scoob Redux]

This is in no way Apple "playing hard ball". The suggestion is laughable. In fact, the subject of an investigation can hardly play hard ball, since they are on the defensive. Requesting dismissal due to missed deadlines is the most basic and perfunctory legal tactic. Just business as usual. lol.

 

[Scoob Redux]

Good, hope Apple ends up in more court cases and big monopolies (of all kinds, but tech especially) give the very insipration that leads lawmakes to draft stricter laws and regulations relating to privacy, market position/monopoly, right to repair and planned obsolescence.
They should have listened.

Except that the "lawmakers" are the corporations. Their lobbyists write the laws and tell the congressmen they paid for to pass them. We are lucky to have some consumer protection laws, but corporations will always fight for them to have no real teeth (or just no enforcement resources).

 

[Lihp8270]

Yeah… if you ask average Americans about the rights we have vs. the restrictions of the EU, I would saw the index is flawed.

I have my own set of questions that is much less vague than “influence of foreign governments on elections” which most people don’t know the truth of.

Just my thoughts. I would never want to live in Europe. Maybe England or Australia but never the EU.

The rights to paid maternity, paternity, sick leave, the right to 5 weeks paid annual leave, the universal right to healthcare, the rights of employment protections.

You’ll find that the vast majority of people in European nations would not trade our “restrictions” for US “rights”

 

[mejsric]

we all know courts have already ruled Apple is not a monopoly

Apple has the monopoly of the best phone.

 

[Nuno Lopes]

Open markets evolved faster and in a way that everyone benefits ... compared to closed markets. In effect both Google and Apple are gatekeepers to markets / pockets the size of Continents.

In many ways todays geo political problems being handled by governments supported by they their citizens taxes are down greatly to big tech interests and needs ... not the regular man and their families.

I find that big tech in many ways have a misguided notions of property in ways that who actually pay for the show ends up actually owning next to nothing.

Take for instance the current gaming licensing model around digital assets. It's well known that a property is only yours when you are free to trade it. In the current scheme one can buy a licence but one cannot trade it. Meaning, we actually own next to nothing.

 

[5232152]

Define ”so big” the problem. A relative term compared to what? The natural comparison another like product in the same category. A monopoly happens when a company or product so dominates an industry that others cannot compete. There are excellent very competitive products in the market place for every product Apple produces. Apple has less than 50% of the smart phone market, their flagship product. Governments are just plain wrong on this one.

One quick search shows Apple iPhone has a more than 50% of the market in the UK, which should be proof enough that the government is well within its (logical) rights to tell Apple to play ball or sod off.

 

[5232152]

Don’t allow a monopoly from day one and companies will understand clearly what’s expected to do business in the UK. I mean, Apple didn’t “sneak” and create the iPhone, then “sneak” and provided an OS for it, and then “sneak” and put it on sale in shops and then “sneak” and created a programming environment for it, and then “sneak” and created an App Store and then “sneak” and allowed developers in the UK to create apps to publish on that store. The UK government saw EVERYTHING that Apple was doing and were perfectly fine with it, signing off on each thing they wanted to do. They could have said, “Nope, no iPhone in the UK, we’re sure that’s not a thing our citizens would like.” and we wouldn’t be here.

To be honest, defining a monopoly solely by size is dumbing it down too much. A monopoly is more about when the outreach of a single company and/or product becomes obviously clear that they are bending the hand of consumers/competition against the common best interest and go do so with just the sheer size of them.

Look at Luxottica they could not negotiate a deal with Oakley they liked. Dump them from all their stores. Their shares dropped like a rock and Luxottica bought them for peanuts. The same ball game but just more consequential.

 

[Realityck]

One quick search shows Apple iPhone has a more than 50% of the market in the UK, which should be proof enough that the government is well within its (logical) rights to tell Apple to play ball or sod off.

iPhone Sales Statistics UK

• The penetration rate of Apple iOS in the UK in March 2021 reached 51.15%.
• By 2023, Apple’s market share in the UK is expected to slip to 39.9%.

The penetration rate denotes the market share held by a particular brand during a stated period.

So no one can assume that Apple iPhones represent more then 50% of smartphones active in the UK going just by those quarter stats?

 

[GraXXoR]

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This is the right moment! Pull out of UK. /S

"I'll pull out at the right moment..."
I've seen that movie.

 

[5232152]

iPhone Sales Statistics UK

• The penetration rate of Apple iOS in the UK in March 2021 reached 51.15%.
• By 2023, Apple’s market share in the UK is expected to slip to 39.9%.

So no one can assume that Apple iPhones represent more then 50% of smartphones active in the UK going just by those quarter stats?

You missed the point by 180 degrees

 

[strongy]

This is just an investigation and Apple's response is you're not allowed to investigate us this long. Lmao.

apple's just following the letter of the law by the sound of it though

 

[MacProFCP]

The rights to paid maternity, paternity, sick leave, the right to 5 weeks paid annual leave, the universal right to healthcare, the rights of employment protections.

You’ll find that the vast majority of people in European nations would not trade our “restrictions” for US “rights”

Those are called benefits; not rights. No one has a right to someone else’s money. Think about how this hinders the growth of small business. The American mindset is to make it easy to open and grow a small business, which reduces costs for Main Street and levels the playing field to become successful. Not so simple if you’re constantly paying employees who aren’t working. Sorry for the digression.

We are getting off track and into politics, which the moderators don’t like. My point here is that I appreciate what Apple has done. There is a reason why the Mac and iOS have relatively few viruses, worms and other hacks. Apple isn’t perfect, but opening up the ecosystem is going to have an effect on that; one that, I’m not sure people will be happy with.

Regardless, different people, differing mindsets: No problem so long as you get what you voted for.

 

[doobydoooby]

we all know courts have already ruled Apple is not a monopoly

If apple weren't engaging in monopolistic behaviour, governments wouldn't see the need to rein them in. That this is being confirmed in many different jurisdictions speaks volumes.