Apple Reportedly on EU 'Hit List' of Big Tech Companies Targeted for Regulation

[Zarniwoop]

Well the multi trillion dollar company has made quite a few European very wealthy and created Billions Paid out to developers who bothered to learn a new skill and make apps. It the lazy do nothings that refuse to use their minds. I hope Apple decided it’s time to distance themselves from such markets and focus on those that appreciate what they bring to the world.

Apple would give up 30% of its profits? What kind of multi-trillion company would voluntarily do that?

 

[ruka.snow]

Yes I am and that has nothing to do with it. Apple will be fine without them. Would they take a hit yes, but so would every company that gave the EU the middle finger and stopped selling to them. EU would beg them to come back. Imagine no Apple, Amazon, Google or Microsoft.

If Apple, Amazon, Google or Microsoft left the EU then homegrown businesses would take their place with no competition from Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft. Only Microsoft is in any way critical to business and peoples day to day lives, but that is easily replaced by Linux that would suddenly have millions of developers and trillions of Euro's invested into it. None of these big tech companies is irreplaceable Google can for most people be replaced in the blink of an eye as they don't provide any unique function.

 

[genovelle]

the fact there is even a hit list sounds like a personal vendetta against foreign companies. I don’t see any issue years again again Virgin and it’s businesses. Furthermore this comes hot of the heels of EU leader when she was embarrassed for loosing court decision against Apple. She was quoted as wanted to go after them - seems personal not legal or ideal for the EU.



This doesn’t make any competitive sense. What data is expected to be shared? How they work with business and products or just research data of how their products are doing?

no preferences to their own apps and digital services lol? Then why even compete at all?! What innovation or services can be offered as an incentive to customers?

I can see Google’s services being forced to manufacturers on Android being disruptive since without including Google’s services then manufacturers will not get any Google services which is a detriment to having typical Android. Many customers want Android this way yet are not aware another Android OS exists without Google’s services and thus tracking. It’s very similar to how Microsoft forced Internet Explorer, then Edge browsers to be on Windows when PC makers brokered a deal forcing out initial web browser competition.

note in each case neither Google nor Microsoft built their own hardware in the first place for years until the last 7yrs roughly. Yet they still push this - EU stopped Microsoft from bundling their browser on Windows as they had a monopoly in the EU.

the difference with Apple is it’s their OS on their hardware. Their not partnering with manuafacturers as competitors and locking them in. They do not have a controlling lead in smartphone nor laptop market in any country in the world. Not 1! Their not stopping other software makers to use their platform. Sure there are and have been issues with locking them out of certain API’s.

Spotify couldn’t use WatchOS to have a native app that stored music locally for playback until WatchOS 6 yet it’s been Spotify’s laziness to even update their watch app to use an updated API to allow this until middle of 2020. No regulation was needed for that. Also note Spotify has a very controlling lead in all global markets in streaming music services and very soon the podcast market. Again Apple is not at fault here. Should Apple allow Spotify to be the default music player on iOS? Sure I’m for it - along with other emus if player apps. (Personally I feel Spotify is horrible as a music playback for their free music tier and if EU pushes for this change then they should review Spotify’s business practice of poor App UI for free use which leads to push clients to subscribe to get basic functionality. Seems very monopolistic. 8Track, SoundCloud, Deezr all don’t limit free users from having store music locally. Apple doesn’t either yet until you subscribe to streaming service which overwrites your personally owned music in iOS and no clear cut way to keep your music and have streamed music stored locally / not even in separate playlists! It’s tricky and involves using a computer and going through too many hoops to get it right.

Apple has allowed browsers and email apps to be native. There is a very tricky business due to security concerns of data mining of iOS users - something the EU talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk beyond cookies cause they don’t know Jack!!

so this data sharing and not wanting to allow software creators having their apps first upon released products (OS inclusive) without detailed steps seems arbitrary.

I don’t agree with the demanding Spotify be allowed to be the default app. It’s kind of like forcing Sony to make Samsung the Default interface and Streaming Source on PlayStation.

 

[genovelle]

If Apple, Amazon, Google or Microsoft left the EU then homegrown businesses would take their place with no competition from Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft. Only Microsoft is in any way critical to business and peoples day to day lives, but that is easily replaced by Linux that would suddenly have millions of developers and trillions of Euro's invested into it. None of these big tech companies is irreplaceable Google can for most people be replaced in the blink of an eye as they don't provide any unique function.

If that were the case these creative sources would rise to the top. The problem is your companies are not building compelling products so they are don’t compete. You would just get left behind. There were dozens of iphone competitors that came and they couldn’t compete. Not because Apple was big, but just created something the public was actually willing to pay real money for when everyone else was making giveaway phones.
Remove Apple from the landscape and we still have crap phones.

 

[ruka.snow]

If that were the case these creative sources would rise to the top. The problem is your companies are not building compelling products so they are don’t compete. You would just get left behind. There were dozens of iphone competitors that came and they couldn’t compete. Not because Apple was big, but just created something the public was actually willing to pay real money for when everyone else was making giveaway phones.
Remove Apple from the landscape and we still have crap phones.

You missed out where the person I was replying too suggested these companies left the EU. If they did the void would be filled up very quickly and in a less than a year people would be buying from the new Tesco mega market or frick, Argos. Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have some of the best products out there, but are not irreplaceable.

 

[Bandaman]

This would be okay if the EU’s “rules” aren’t showcasing complete technological illiteracy and stupidity. These rules help no one.

 

[farmboy]

Good. Big tech needs to be put under control.

Waiting for the brainwashed Americans to come defend their favorite multi-trillion dollar corporation while they fear getting sick so they don't get left with crippling debt.

I'm missing the part where the size of one company's bank account prevents me from having medical insurance.

 

[Zarniwoop]

This would be okay if the EU’s “rules” aren’t showcasing complete technological illiteracy and stupidity. These rules help no one.

Actually the EU has pretty good technological advisors, but any new law needs to be ratified by every single member state - and during that process the law might become a shadow of the original intended...

 

[Glideslope]

This is fantastic. Textbook EU. All 27 (soon to be 26) will want their own set of rules and regulations. It’s going to be a fiasco of monumental proportions.

I‘m looking forward to the circus commonly referred to as the EU. 😂

 

[and 1989 others]

"Under the plans, big tech companies could quickly be forced to change their business practices without the need for an investigation or the breaking of any law. In extreme circumstances, big tech companies could be broken up if they are found to be discouraging rivals."

Is this a joke?

No. This is how the EU like to operate.

 

[Zarniwoop]

This is fantastic. Textbook EU. All 27 (soon to be 26) will want their own set of rules and regulations. It’s going to be a fiasco of monumental proportions.

I‘m looking forward to the circus commonly referred to as the EU. 😂

It’s called politics, a circus at every level, from munincipalities to the EU. Some countries have better clowns than others, but nevertheless it is a circus.

 

[RickDEGH]

Odd. When I lived in Hamburg I had no problem shopping at any number of small grocers that provided excellent product and decent customer service (for Germany, anywhere else and it might be called customer disservice). If your only criteria in food is cheap, perhaps you see an Aldi world. But don’t forget there are many of us that actually buy stuff we cook and eat. Our criteria is quality, not lowest cost.

Your comment might apply to Switzerland or France where the mega-grocers stock excellent product. But in Germany, for those that want decent quality, the mega's are like shopping at 7/11.

While I do understand what you’re saying, and do know there are small grocers out here in Germany, your comment is simply bordering on “better than thou”. How many of the like of you are out there compared to the numbers who have nowhere else to go than to Aldi and the like?

Anyway, the point of my comment wasn’t about quality versus cheap food. I’m talking about the cartel in the groceries business. Same with MediaMarkt and Saturn (owned by the same entity) in the electronic market space. So spare me with your I-eat-better talk.

 

[RickDEGH]

What would they think about splitting up Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen? Or GM first?

Exactly! It won’t happen. Because those policy makers aren’t, without these big firms here. It’s okay to regulate those from elsewhere while we keep ours intact.

 

[Zarniwoop]

Exactly! It won’t happen. Because those policy makers aren’t, without these big firms here. It’s okay to regulate those from elsewhere while we keep ours intact.

If BMW owned half of the roads in Germany and charged other car makers a 30% cut of every car sold in order to use BMW roads, we’d be in a similar situation as Apple is with their service model. Do you think it would need any regulation? Sure there are other roads, but they are not as nice, or direct... or sometimes BMW road is the only option the get to the destination. Let the other car makers build their own roads...

Sometimes a company just grows too big, and most of its actions will stifle competition. Apple is on the edge, and with their service strategy I can see a lot of problems ahead...

 

[NMBob]

Would it be too much to ask for the breakup of big government? I wonder who you write a letter to about that?

 

[MvdM]

If BMW owned half of the roads in Germany and charged other car makers a 30% cut of every car sold in order to use BMW roads, we’d be in a similar situation as Apple is with their service model. Do you think it would need any regulation? Sure there are other roads, but they are not as nice, or direct... or sometimes BMW road is the only option the get to the destination. Let the other car makers build their own roads...

Sometimes a company just grows too big, and most of its actions will stifle competition. Apple is on the edge, and with their service strategy I can see a lot of problems ahead...

You can take the Android route. Does BMW sell Lada accessories in their stores? I guess not.

 

[macdos]

That was the British. This is payback for the Spanish flu, which despite the name originated in the US. So did the swine flu 2009, by the way. And the global AIDS epidemic since 1980.

Ten million dollars per victim. That is what we demand.

If you believe that then, think of it as payback for the opium wars.

 

[jz0309]

IF you have any other examples outside Airbus, then speak up. The case Airbus is controversial, since Boeing receives a lot of government support in the name of military research / aid. Both parties have been tried and found quilty breaking a trade agreement / international trade law.

Airbus is of course the prime example, and maybe I've used the word "subsidized" a little too liberate, but another example is the treatment of Volkswagen, clearly criminal actions in the Diesel affair and the company continues to get protected ... there is more, but I don't keep a journal.
I'm German, spent the first 30+ years of my life there, so I've seen it first hand, and not that the US is perfect, but German nd European governments are full of bureaucrats

 

[gaximus]

Just like TikTok in the US?

They could force Apple out of their Country, but they couldn't force Apple to break up. TikTok made the choice to sell, or not be allowed in the country.

 

[Zarniwoop]

Airbus is of course the prime example, and maybe I've used the word "subsidized" a little too liberate, but another example is the treatment of Volkswagen, clearly criminal actions in the Diesel affair and the company continues to get protected ... there is more, but I don't keep a journal.
I'm German, spent the first 30+ years of my life there, so I've seen it first hand, and not that the US is perfect, but German nd European governments are full of bureaucrats

Thank you for your comment. It is true there are a lot of bureaucrats everywhere, and in US as well. Punishments of consumerism violations are a lot more severe in the US than here in Europe (in general), therefore VW got beaten up pretty badly there. The compensations were a lot smaller here in Europe, than they were in the US (applies to other punishments as well, just look at the numbers of incarcerated people in the US.) But, Volkswagen agreed to a €1 billion fine imposed by Germany for failing to monitor the employees that modified the software behind the scandal in 2018.

 

[Yojimbo007]

Agreed. Always hated that design pattern. It's so clearly engineered to make people give up and just press agree all. You just got to the article you want to read, the cookie thing comes up, and you sigh deeply. "If I click to 'manage cookies' because I don't want their trackers, I'm going to have to go through another page, deselect 20 checkboxes, click OK and be brought back to the front page where I have to find the article again... Or I could click accept all". And you don't just have to do it once per site - it will reset and get you to go through all that again. It's not so much a choice as a battle of attrition.



You don't always have a choice without regulation. You may be in charge of the safety of the car you buy, but not the one your neighbour buys - or how often he gets it checked by a mechanic. If there's no regulation for any of it, his brake might fall off and the car will smash right into someone you care about or yourself
I'm sure you also agree with there being a speed limit even though could also argue that people just should not drive faster than a sensible speed and that could be their own judgment rather than a law.

And as you point out, it has to fit within your budget. Making car safety an expected standard rather than an up-sell significantly lowers the barrier of entry for safety, both in terms of economy of scale and in terms of the incentive for market differentiation of a luxury and a budget brand being shifted. - Setting minimal standards often lowers the cost for everyone. Medicine is a good example; The US is one of the countries (the country?) with the highest cost of medicine. Sweden considers it a right that people can get the medicine they need and it is to a great extend covered by the government. All medication is significantly cheaper there. - And I'm not talking about the price to the customer here - I am talking about the full price, including the part covered by the government. Because there's much better bargaining power with the sellers, and you can buy in bulk. Furthermore there's not a doctor in the mix who gets a commission on the sale and wants to get you to buy the more expensive brand that's the exact same as the cheaper alternative in terms of the chemical makeup.


All in all, where you put the boundary isn't cut in stone. But I'm sure we can agree that some regulation, minor or major, is a good thing.

Regarding your other paragraph I don't have much to say, really

Some regulation is good... after all it creates some order.. like the speed limit example u gave... (trick is where does one draw the line)

IMO, the best regulatuion effect is achieved through consumer’s freedom of choice.

If my car’s brakes fall off ( as u mentioned) i simply wont buy that car anymore.. and move on to the next brand with a better reputation. No regulation needed there.....competitive market forces will take care of the the kinks . Laissez Faire.

Unless, of course if there is only one car manufacturer in the world...

But thats is not the case here.. there is plenty of competition out there... and these protectionist moves do nothing but hamper progress and innovation.
Remove profit incentives through over regulation.. and u kill motivation for progress.

And to be perfectly honest.. i see nothing wrong with the bigger entities buying out the smaller ones... actually, more often than not, thats a huge driving force behind entrepreneurs who believe their efforts can be hugely rewarded through being acquired.....while allowing them to move on to the next venture!

Most these acquisitions are not intended for killing competition....rather to enhancing platforms.

Regulations are control mechanisms for certain type governments and for the most part introduce inefficiencies and get in the way of market‘s dynamics and individual’s motivation to excel.......and in this particular case, as far as Apple is concerned, they are an uncalled for attept for a power grab.. its anti competitive, it is protectionist.. and thats harmful! IMO

(as for Sweden... Have u look at their tax structure?? its not all roses on the other side either )

 

[NoNothing]

I'm in favour of a lot of regulation in many ways, because pure capitalism doesn't always serve the people - look at the video games industry for a good demonstration of both workers and consumers getting the short end of the stick, or car manufacturers skimping on safety and environmental protections to save a few pennies - if all that drives you is profit, your decisions sometimes does not benefit people as a whole and can have hugely detrimental effects, and minimal competition is a detriment to the wider economy as well.

Written like a person who has never even once tried to start a significant business of any type. Anyone with an once of knowledge of markets and history would understand the free market has lifted more people out of desolation and extreme poverty than any other system we have been able to devise. It is not perfect but it has done more than any other system to elevate the masses out of starvation and misery.

 

[casperes1996]

(as for Sweden... Have u look at their tax structure?? its not all roses on the other side either )

I don't really have a comment to the rest of what you wrote so I'll focus on this line.

Yeah, I'm from Denmark so we have a very similar tax system - While of course people complain sometimes, overall people are very happy about paying their taxes and would even be willing to pay a bit more even though we're already at around the 50% mark for the higher tier of taxation. Solidarity brings us all further than we could go on our own

 

[cocky jeremy]

How could they break up a company that’s not in their country?

They can't. The company would just no longer deal with those countries involved with this EU BS.

 

[Edsel]

That was the British. This is payback for the Spanish flu, which despite the name originated in the US. So did the swine flu 2009, by the way. And the global AIDS epidemic since 1980.

Ten million dollars per victim. That is what we demand.

I can do better....