cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/12713988
EU Commission fines Apple over €1.8 billion over abusive App store rules for music streaming providers
The European Commission has fined Apple over €1.8 billion for abusing its dominant position on the market for the distribution of music streaming apps to iPhone and iPad users (‘iOS users’) through its App Store. In particular, the Commission found that Apple applied restrictions on app developers preventing them from informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of the app (‘anti-steering provisions’). This is illegal under EU antitrust rules.
Apple: Customers found your app through the App Store, so we helped make your sale and we want a cut.
Also Apple: We need to be the only App Store in town. Having others isn’t safe.
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Literally the same thing as a mafia protection racket.
And apple’s petty response open letter
Always funny when a gigantic corporation comes crying to the public. This usually goes for both sides as well (Spotify came crying to the public about being treated unfairly by big daddy Apple).
But Apple trying to twist this in a way that Spotify and other developers should be grateful that Apple provides them with “250.000 APIs” and CarPlay integration and whatnot. Try not providing these integrations and APIs Apple, and see what your platform is still worth then. Right, nothing, because if nothing runs on it, nobody will buy it. It’s that simple.
I don’t care who “wins” here. Fwiw they can both lose and I’d be just as happy as before. But way to go EU for actually fining for amount of money that even Apple can’t completely ignore at least.
I think Apple misunderstood that the customer is not the developers, but the people that buy their stuff…
