France Asks EU to Examine Apple's Removal of AppGratis From the App Store

[mdelvecchio]

The key difference is that if one retailer doesn't have the product that you want then you can buy from a retailer that does.

Apple, on the other hand, actively prevents any other retailer from selling iOS apps.

your logic is flawed. in the physical metaphor, apple owns a store. there are many other stores. those other stores can sell applications like AppGratis if they wish.

but requiring other stores to sell *iOS* apps would be like forcing mcdonald's to allow other stores to sell Big Macs, which is unique to mcdonald's.

 

[iGrip]

Every tom and dick started deciding what Apple supposed to do

Right? Who the heck is The European Union compared to Apple? Apple makes MUCH higher profits!

 

[Thinkman12345]

Stupid fkng btch

Lunatics like her make me want to pull my hair out.

 

[mdelvecchio]

Retail stores don't have to carry items they they don't want to because those items can be sold at other retail stores. With the App Store, an ios app cannot be sold anywhere else. So if Apple can just determine arbitrarily what apps can and can't be sold, they can effectively destroy the software companies because there is no other market (IOS apps will only work on iOS, and can only be bought from the App Store.) That is extraordinary power, and frankly too much power. I don't get why some people can't see this.

not quite true. you are free to jailbreak your phone and purchase iOS apps from other app stores. see Cydia.

 

[Stella]

Apparently, Apple is now the EU's biggest cash-cow and ticket out of this economic depression.

LOL a very typical knee jerk reaction... Any fine is a drop in the ocean.

What fines have the EU applied to Apple recently?

 

[Saladinos]

Last time I checked, it was Apples' App Store. They own it, they curate it. What is there to examine?

Americans may be fine with corporations doing what they like, but in the rest of the world there are meaningful laws and anybody living or doing business in that country must abide by them.

I'm not saying Apple did break the law; in fact I largely agree with how Apple police the AppStore and wish they would be even more active. That said, even while doing so Apple must make sure they are on the right side of the law and if any affected party believes otherwise they absolutely have the right to a review; how dare you suggest otherwise!

 

[Kabeyun]

"This behaviour is not worthy of a company of this size," Pellerin said.

Doesn't that also apply to the French during World War II?

 

[bushido]

the EU should do something against apple forcing their apps on us without giving us an option like a different browser set as default. wasnt microsoft fined for exactly this and the IE once?

 

[rrahimi]

Minister Fleur Pellerin must have a lot of free time on her hands.

 

[komodrone]

Why not ask EU to examine the reason why iMacs needed to be thinner?

 

[OLDCODGER]

This could potentially have big consequences for the operation of the AppStore in the EU. If the EU decide that Apple acted anti-competitively they are basically challenging part of the terms and conditions for AppStore developers.

Lets see what happens...

Although not in the EU (praise be to the gods of Olympus!), I am looking forward to this battle because I fear that OSX is going the same way in the very near future - and that would kill it for me.

 

[Kwill]

Outrageous treatment

This is an outrage. Apple has the right to piss rainbows on anyone's back. It doesn't matter whether they are parts suppliers, manufacturers or developers. Apple will spend its war chest and go thermo nuclear on any opposers until everyone plays homage to Apple.

If that app developer doesn't like the treatment, he can come and work for Apple when we finish our spaceship. As for Fleur Pellerin, your iTunes account is suspended, sister. Don't get me riled up. I'll buy France and play Monopoly with real money.

 

[rhett7660]

Retail stores don't have to carry items they they don't want to because those items can be sold at other retail stores. With the App Store, an ios app cannot be sold anywhere else. So if Apple can just determine arbitrarily what apps can and can't be sold, they can effectively destroy the software companies because there is no other market (IOS apps will only work on iOS, and can only be bought from the App Store.) That is extraordinary power, and frankly too much power. I don't get why some people can't see this.

No there are other markets a developer can develop for. Also, last I checked apple did not have the market share of the phone industry. I could see this being the case if apple had the 80-90% of the phone business but they are not even close.

Having said that, I don't know how the EU will look at this. I am not familiar enough with them.

 

[lilo777]

Last time I checked, it was Apples' App Store. They own it, they curate it. What is there to examine?

To go with your logic, EU market is, well, EU's own market. They own it and they curate it. If they want they can ban Apple (or certain practices) in their house (which BTW they do all the time). And Apple will apologize and do as they were told. Just look at what happened a week ago in China.

 

[Saladinos]

Retail stores don't have to carry items they they don't want to because those items can be sold at other retail stores. With the App Store, an ios app cannot be sold anywhere else. So if Apple can just determine arbitrarily what apps can and can't be sold, they can effectively destroy the software companies because there is no other market (IOS apps will only work on iOS, and can only be bought from the App Store.) That is extraordinary power, and frankly too much power. I don't get why some people can't see this.

This. AppGratis supposedly just closed a multi-million dollar seed funding round. Now the company has effectively been shut down by Apple.

It is not in the public interest for Apple to have that amount of power over other businesses. Only the law should have that power.

 

[rhett7660]

To go with your logic, EU market is, well, EU's own market. They own it and they curate it. If they want they can ban Apple (or certain practices) in their house (which BTW they do all the time). And Apple will apologize and do as they were told. Just look at what happened a week ago in China.

Sure they will if it comes to that. They want to do business there. Nothing wrong with apologizing in my book.

 

[a.gomez]

Since when did the EU rule USA?

ever since a USA company does business in an EU country - just like any foreign company follows US rules - not that complicated

 

[doctor-don]

Say WHAT?!

 

[chameleon81]

Last time I checked, it was Apples' App Store. They own it, they curate it. What is there to examine?

Regulators are there to establish fair competition. Unregulated free markets usually end up with 2-3 big companies screwing consumers and small players. For me the whole "Apps could be bought only from Appstore" is insane and I can not understand how regulators do not try to stop it.

I'm aware that Appstore is good for most of developers etc but people should have the choice. Imagine Windows forbids other browsers ( well they did in the past! )

 

[herr_neumann]

This is what happens when non-French companies do well in France.

Governments should regulate business, not be in business.

 

[Swift]

So...

Apple is a common carrier, but the US networks? Proprietary.

 

[a.gomez]

Last time I checked, it was Apples' App Store. They own it, they curate it. What is there to examine?

seeing how France and every other country made and maintain their economy and markets... they can examine whatever does business inside their borders.

 

[Swift]

Regulators are there to establish fair competition. Unregulated free markets usually end up with 2-3 big companies screwing consumers and small players. For me the whole "Apps could be bought only from Appstore" is insane and I can not understand how regulators do not try to stop it.

I'm aware that Appstore is good for most of developers etc but people should have the choice. Imagine Windows forbids other browsers ( well they did in the past! )

Because it's good for the consumer? Yeah, it is. A unified market. Unrivalled for plenty and variety. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't buy an Android piece of crap. Go ahead.

 

[Rogifan]

Last time I checked, the Government has the right to regulate private businesses. Just because a company owns something doesn't mean they can do whatever they want if it harms the public interest. What's there to examine? To see if Apple is using ther extraordinary power in the App Store in any unfair or anti-competitive way (because competition helps the public, and is in the public interest.)

How is this harming the public exactly?

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Retail stores don't have to carry items they they don't want to because those items can be sold at other retail stores. With the App Store, an ios app cannot be sold anywhere else. So if Apple can just determine arbitrarily what apps can and can't be sold, they can effectively destroy the software companies because there is no other market (IOS apps will only work on iOS, and can only be bought from the App Store.) That is extraordinary power, and frankly too much power. I don't get why some people can't see this.

How is there no other market? Can't they develop for Android or Windows or Blackberry? iOS is far from the only mobile operating system.

 

[Stella]

Replace the word "apple" with Microsoft, google or Samsung and the reactions would be quite different - ie this was a good thing.