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Apple to Be Fined Over $500 Million in EU Music Streaming Probe
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Amazon Prime which includes prime music, prime video and other perks isn’t subject to the Apple tax. I could buy a software license or a game (digital goods) on Amazon iOS app and pay the same price if I bought it using the browser.
They’ll fight it tooth and nail but eventually they’ll have no choice but to cut a cheque, that’s the point.
THIS is a blatant LIE. Hope no one falls for it…
Nice to see to see the first of the chickens coming home to roost for Apples anticompetitive business practices.
No surprise to see it being defended to the hilt by the usual suspects
No surprise to see it being defended to the hilt by the usual suspects
Same its not surprising seeing apple users/europeans BEGGING totalitarian authorities for MORE supervision & control. Letting them control EVERYTHING for a ”good” cause…
I have to agree. Healthy eating was very expensive in the US in comparison to Europe when I was there for a student exchange. Many other items like clothing were less expensive though.
It’s just weird to me, this train of thought.Same its not surprising seeing apple users/europeans BEGGING totalitarian authorities for MORE supervision & control. Letting them control EVERYTHING for a ”good” cause…
You would ratherz a massive corporation to control what you do, how you do it, hoover up your data to do with what they please, tell you what you can and can’t do on things you own, give you rules. This to me sounds exactly like the type of thing a voted for government might try to do.
So what you’re saying is you would rather have things in the hands of a random massive company, than a democratic government that you can vote in or not.
That sounds substantially more totalitarian to me.
That's something I never understood.
Puchasing subscription outside the apps is so easy...
Anyone can do it, other than the odd 90 year old which I doubt will be very inbterested in Spotify anyway...
But of course. This is a prime example of Orwells ”newspeak”.
The prime example of Orwells newspeak is Apple's corporate communication about this topic. Oh, the irony.
Well they already allow that….
When you acquire the product and open the container… inside the box alongside the product they almost always include information about getting cheaper replacement parts in their official store, promotional material etc
So why not the AppStore? acquire the app, opening the app and be presented with information about subscribing on their website etc etc
There is a reason for the inability to purchase through the app and it isn't apple that is doing it, it has to do with the entity that controls the publishing rights. It is that way with books. Amazon got nailed by the New York City publishing mafia for price fixing of kindle books.
Does the EU require all stores to allow the products in the store to advertise that those same products can be purchased for less elsewhere? Companies don’t make the same profit in each store, so why aren’t they allowed to advertise where they make the greatest profit and even display the price?
Companies typically don’t choose the store they are in — they choose a distributor, which will sell to most any store. The App Store is a store and distributor, so any company that sells products in the App Store knows exactly what they are signing up for, and they are not forced to sell in that transparent system.
But you may say — it isn’t fair that the only way to get to iOS users is through the App Store. That isn’t true — the product could be accessed by users through a web browser. But then you may say — users want to access the product through a native app because the experience is much better, so the web based product wouldn’t generate as much revenue. That is true — and who created this platform to allow for this? Why shouldn’t they be paid for developing a platform that allows for greater app engagement and revenue?
Companies typically don’t choose the store they are in — they choose a distributor, which will sell to most any store. The App Store is a store and distributor, so any company that sells products in the App Store knows exactly what they are signing up for, and they are not forced to sell in that transparent system.
But you may say — it isn’t fair that the only way to get to iOS users is through the App Store. That isn’t true — the product could be accessed by users through a web browser. But then you may say — users want to access the product through a native app because the experience is much better, so the web based product wouldn’t generate as much revenue. That is true — and who created this platform to allow for this? Why shouldn’t they be paid for developing a platform that allows for greater app engagement and revenue?
Perhaps Spotify outperforms it because it is available on more platforms? I have used Spotify and Apple Music, and definitely prefer Apple Music.
I also don't see what the problem is with Apple having an advantage on its own platform especially when developers like Spotify know what Apple's advantages supposedly are and still decide to develop for iOS.
Apple also does not hold a monopoly in terms of the phone market and iOS is not a defined market at least as far as anti-trust law is concerned in the US. If you want to look at anti-trust behavior, look at Google in how it uses its dominant position in search to hook users into all of its other services.
If I was Apple, I would get out of the EU as the EU clearly doesn't like US technology companies.
If Cook released a video, explaining to EU citizens that their "leaders" were forcing Apple to pull out on ___ date, and as a consequence, there would be no more Apple products to buy, there would be such an outcry that the "leaders" would back down within an hour and reverse course. Because if they didn't, it's bye bye. And if there's one thing a corrupt, megalomaniac cares about more than money... it's power.
Where else can you read about ”totalitarian” companies except on a apple forum & a few extreme; insert direction; ones? Its laughable.
I agree with this. The cost of doing business in the EU is especially high and I suspect when you factor in all of the bogus penalties and needing to alter your business model to appease the regulatory scheme, the profit margins are really low in Europe.
Europe is treating Apple as a monopoly when it really isn't one. If consumers don't like Apple, they have other options.
"Tech giant Apple saw profits at its main Irish subsidiary rise to $69.3 billion (€63.5 billion) last year [2022]".
Apple reports €63.5bn profit at main Irish subsidiary
iPhone group does not disclose Irish corporation tax charge but it will have come to €8bn at headline 12.5% tax rate
…if the European Commission was democratically elected.
Which it isn‘t, really 😈