White House Hits Back at Apple's Massive EU Fine

[bigandtasty]

“economic extortion”?

Can this White House please, at minimum, tone down the inflammatory rhetoric? I get that it’s Trump’s whole thing to an extent, but the normalization of it just feels bad.

Yeah, WH shouldn't have said anything and just let  deal with it. Ok, got it

 

[UliBaer]

It needs to go way further. I've preached forever that Apple, Google, and Microsoft need to leave all at once, with no warning. Let them figure out how to run their businesses with none of those three. They'd come back on their knees begging them to come back. Guaranteed.

Since most serious companies in Europe run their servers on Linux (and using European cloud services) anyway, it would be only the iPhone disciples running around confused and headless and finally buying a green-bubble-device without Google on it (GrapheneOS and others)...


...just jokin'... (not really) 🤣

[edit] Forgot:
Gamers would have to switch to Linux, but can continue gaming on steam, like they did on Windows before.

[edit2]
There are also Linux distributions running on Apple silicon - hint, hint!

 

[AppliedMicro]

Apple should be well within its rights to charge different prices for access to its IP. They could say all apps with blue icons pay nothing, all apps with red icons pay $10,000 a download

A company with monopoly power over an important service that others depend on shouldn’t.
It should provide fair and equitable access conditions.

Just as your local transit or toll road shouldn’t charge you more - while giving away their services for free to others (in similar circumstances). Even when you’re “free to move elsewhere”.

 

[Mainsail]

This term has been used for decades by both parties and is accurate to what is happening here, regardless of feelings.


Was the EU tariffing the united states first and for years? Yes. So why is it bad when the US responds in kind?



The law is extremely vague (intentionally so) and effectively requires Apple (and other big companies) to give their intellectual property away for free. Even as a small company I block the entire EU because of unbelievably asinine their laws are where a single PERCEIVED violation based on VAGUE and OPEN ENDED LAWS is like 300k-600k for each count.


Please lets not be disingenuous. Heard Island and McDonald Island are part of australia, which are subject to the tariff.




Trump is trying to crash the stock market at least 20%, causing a flight into treasuries, this will cause the fed to slash interest rates so he can refinance the debt to near 0% and cause a deflationary spiral which will lower the cost of
everything. He also intends to use tariffs as an incentive for companies to build in the US to avoid having to pay them. The Tariffs and the resulting global trade war will also force American Farmers to sell more of their goods in the US (due to retaliatory trade measures by other countries) which will directly lower the price of groceries in the US. More than 94% of all stock is owned by just 8% of the US population. Trump is literally taking money from the rich and giving it to the poor. This is why Trump is playing a game of Hokey Pokey with Tariffs. One day he has 25% Tariffs on Mexico and the next he doesn't. This is to cause extreme volatility in the markets and a desperate need and demand to flee towards treasury bonds which are much more stable but offer much lower potential return.

This is also why eggs are cheaper now than they were under Joe Biden.
View attachment 2504938

So lets see, people act like the USA is a jetski, rather it is like a gigantic tanker and these changes and tariffs will take YEARS to determine if it was worth it or not.

Interesting take. A conscious strategy to crash financial markets killing capital investment and economic expansion ….very clever. Not sure how this will force the hand of the Fed to lower rate, since tariff driven inflation and scarcity of low cost labor will make it essentially impossible. But, heck what do I know.

Maybe the fact that every economist worth a dime thinks this whole thing is stupid should count for something. Besides, How can any foreign government trust a trade deal with this red light green light Administration.

My simpleminded take; this has all of the appearance of someone who doesn’t know what they are doing. For me, that is a more reasonable explanation than twisting myself into a logic pretzel to believe I am watching a mastermind play three dimensional chess.

 

[kagharaht]

Trump will protect Apple. After all...

 

[djphat2000]

As a EU citizen I’m happy with the freedom and choices that are the direct result of the DMA.

But as the EU and US have fundamentally different views on privacy, platform interoperability, consumer rights, … the best way forward is to develop our own tech.

Then EU citizens can choose between EU and US platforms. And there’s no need for fines anymore as the latter won’t have a gatekeeper function anymore.

I wish there was a clapping hands emoji.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Oh wait there is

 

[surferfb]

A company with monopoly power over an important service that others depend on shouldn’t.
It should provide fair and equitable access conditions.

Apple does not have monopoly power, as you well know. Just because you wish they did does not change that fact. Apple has 30% market share in the EU and its biggest competitor, with a massively larger user base, allows everything the EU is asking for here. If developers don't like the terms, they should show Apple's customers what they are missing by developing amazing apps and services to entice them to switch providers, not demand the government give them Apple's IP for free.

If access to iPhone users is that important to their business, it sounds like the incredibly reasonable 15% fee most developers pay is absolutely worth it. Or, they can release a free app and allow users to sign up on the web and pay Apple nothing under Apple's own rules! But that's not good enough - how dare Apple asked to be compensated for making developers' businesses viable. The gall. Throw the book at them EU!

 

[cjsuk]

As a EU citizen I’m happy with the freedom and choices that are the direct result of the DMA.

But as the EU and US have fundamentally different views on privacy, platform interoperability, consumer rights, … the best way forward is to develop our own tech.

Then EU citizens can choose between EU and US platforms. And there’s no need for fines anymore as the latter won’t have a gatekeeper function anymore.

I've said this for years.

I hope they invest the fines in doing that.

What I'd really like is if the EU invested the fines on open source technology quality. Take a Linux distribution and polish it to macOS level of quality and build out a comparable stack. Same with a mobile operating system and application ecosystem.

CERN already do some of this believe it or not for scientific computing but there needs to be a consumer and general business side.

 

[AppliedMicro]

Apple does not have monopoly power, as you well know. Just because you wish they did does not change that fact. Apple has 30% market share in the EU and its biggest competitor

They certainly have monopoly power (as in their price-setting ability - “monopoly power” does not require literally only one company control almost the entire market).

And their “biggest competitor” to the App Store does not actually compete with them - because apps acquired on Google Play don’t run on the iPhones consumers have “committed” to through a hardware purchase.

 

[MacLawyer]

The only time article 5 was invoked other members rushed to the call from the USA. Perhaps the myopic morons in the White House should be constantly reminded of that as they now seem dead set on turning their obscene treachery to selling

The only time article 5 was invoked other members rushed to the call from the USA. Perhaps the myopic morons in the White House should be constantly reminded of that as they now seem dead set on turning their obscene treachery to selling out Ukraine.

At least the morons reconnected the phone to the Kremlin which war criminal Biden disconnected to ensure the killing wouldn’t stop.

 

[0049190]

The EU has a right to enact and enforce their own laws.

 

[ForkHandles]

If US companies don't want to be fined for breaking the law, perhaps obeying the law would be a better strategy than risking it, getting caught and then having your president throw a tantrum about how it's 'not fair', like a 3 year-old who isn't allowed a second icecream.

I believe “Presidential Tantrum“ is making its way to lexicographers dictionaries as we speak.

It is set to overtake “three year old child tantrum” very soon as the ultimate descriptor of a person with no intelligence who throws their toys out of the pram, screaming into the void.

Congratulations to The Lump, it has worked hard to claim this accolade.

 

[ForkHandles]

so happy I voted to leave the EU in the UK with brexit, the EU need shutting down

Yes. Absolutely worth it.

34% hit to export of goods to the EU.
16,340 exporters in SMEs no longer exporting.

Tell me, which is the emoji for slow hand clap? 👏

 

[delsoul]

As a EU citizen I’m happy with the freedom and choices that are the direct result of the DMA.

But as the EU and US have fundamentally different views on privacy, platform interoperability, consumer rights, … the best way forward is to develop our own tech.

Then EU citizens can choose between EU and US platforms. And there’s no need for fines anymore as the latter won’t have a gatekeeper function anymore.

The reason the EU constantly fines others is to generate money. Plain and simple. Also, there’s no current European competitors and it’s the EU’s way of making sure nobody can get ahead and ‘win’. If someone else is doing better, the EU will surely drag them down. I agree fully that the EU developing their own tech would be a great option. Nokia and Ericsson ruled the late 90s and early 00s, not sure what went wrong but it would be great to see them rise again and then the EU can finally be happy there’s something customer tailored to their demands.

 

[bcortens]

The reason the EU constantly fines others is to generate money. Plain and simple. Also, there’s no current European competitors and it’s the EU’s way of making sure nobody can get ahead and ‘win’. If someone else is doing better, the EU will surely drag them down. I agree fully that the EU developing their own tech would be a great option. Nokia and Ericsson ruled the late 90s and early 00s, not sure what went wrong but it would be great to see them rise again and then the EU can finally be happy there’s something customer tailored to their demands.

You think the EU budget of approximately 200 billion euros is dependent upon small 500 million euro fines once every few years? That's honestly kind of hilarious...

 

[cocky jeremy]

You think my Mac will stop working tomorrow if every Apple Store, Data centre and Office burned down tonight?

No, but you aren't getting replacement parts, tech support, or anything else.

 

[iPadified]

That seems to be a very accurate way to describe it. How would you more accurately name it?

following the law?

 

[bollman]

This term has been used for decades by both parties and is accurate to what is happening here, regardless of feelings.


Was the EU tariffing the united states first and for years? Yes. So why is it bad when the US responds in kind?



The law is extremely vague (intentionally so) and effectively requires Apple (and other big companies) to give their intellectual property away for free. Even as a small company I block the entire EU because of unbelievably asinine their laws are where a single PERCEIVED violation based on VAGUE and OPEN ENDED LAWS is like 300k-600k for each count.


Please lets not be disingenuous. Heard Island and McDonald Island are part of australia, which are subject to the tariff.




Trump is trying to crash the stock market at least 20%, causing a flight into treasuries, this will cause the fed to slash interest rates so he can refinance the debt to near 0% and cause a deflationary spiral which will lower the cost of
everything. He also intends to use tariffs as an incentive for companies to build in the US to avoid having to pay them. The Tariffs and the resulting global trade war will also force American Farmers to sell more of their goods in the US (due to retaliatory trade measures by other countries) which will directly lower the price of groceries in the US. More than 94% of all stock is owned by just 8% of the US population. Trump is literally taking money from the rich and giving it to the poor. This is why Trump is playing a game of Hokey Pokey with Tariffs. One day he has 25% Tariffs on Mexico and the next he doesn't. This is to cause extreme volatility in the markets and a desperate need and demand to flee towards treasury bonds which are much more stable but offer much lower potential return.

This is also why eggs are cheaper now than they were under Joe Biden.
View attachment 2504938

So lets see, people act like the USA is a jetski, rather it is like a gigantic tanker and these changes and tariffs will take YEARS to determine if it was worth it or not.

Funny, that sudden drop in egg prices seems to coincide with the time when USA begged EU to export eggs:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/how-many-eggs-can-you-send-us-asks-countries-help-lower-soaring-prices-2025-03-14/

 

[Unami]

"which called the fine a form of economic extortion"

Look who's talking

Tim's getting some mileage out of that million bucks, for sure!

I was sceptical at first, but it looks like corruption works after all.

 

[Martin Bland]

The folks cheering this on are going to cry when the cost of iPhones in the EU climb to pay for these arbitrary fines. Roughly 50€ extra per phone.

Given the arbitrary and capricious decisions under this vague law, Apple’s best course of action may be to loudly delay iOS updates in the EU until they are signed off by the commission.

 

[UliBaer]

Given the arbitrary, and capricious decisions under this vague law, Apple’s best course of action may be to loudly delay iOS updates in the EU until they are signed off by the commission.

That would be great, they could also check for bugs and reject bug-fested updates this way! 👍

🤣 🤣 🤣

 

[iPadified]

Dear Americans,

Would you accept that European companies ignored American laws when operating in USA and when braking said laws and being fined, they think they are treated badly and run back to the European leaders for help so they can pressure USA to change their laws or being exempt from the ruling?

I did not see EU come to help VW during dieselgate (fines , retrofits and lawer cost accounted ended up being 32 billion USD for VW). What is a puny 500 million compared to that?

 

[0049190]

I don’t think it’s a good idea for Tim Cook to align Apple with Trump. Look at the backlash Tesla has faced with big falls in their sales numbers.

 

[VulchR]

The EU has a right to enact and enforce their own laws.

Yes, but if those laws are unjust, or are politically motivated to hurt trade, then the other countries affected can complain. The EU fines are absurdly high. I hope Apple recoups the money through charging EU consumers more. It's is not like Europe will ever create an alternative to the likes of Apple or Google. That boat sailed long ago.

 

[0049190]

Yes, but if those laws are unjust, or are politically motivated to hurt trade, then the other countries affected can complain. The EU fines are absurdly high. I hope Apple recoups the money through charging EU consumers more. It's is not like Europe will ever create an alternative to the likes of Apple or Google. That boat sailed long ago.

The DMA laws are not unjust or discriminatory or politically motivated. They apply to all companies not just Apple and were introduced long before Trump became President.