Apple still not in compliance with Dutch App Store rules, regulator says
Apple will again be fined for failing to make changes to its App Store in the Netherlands, with the Dutch antitrust watchdog stating that the company's latest proposal isn't in compliance.
App Store on an iPhone
After weeks of fines for failing to comply with an order to implement alternate payment options in the country, Apple submitted a new proposal to the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) in an effort to comply with the order.
However, an ACM official has told Reuters that Apple's latest bid still does not fully comply with its order.
Because of that, Apple is set to be hit with another fine in the week of March 28. Per ACM regulations, once the penalties reach the 50 million euro threshold, subsequent fines could be higher.
Apple started racking up fines in the Netherlands after an ACM investigation found that the iPhone maker's business practices amounted to a dominant market position. However, the scope of the investigation was later shifted to focus solely on dating apps.
In other words, to come into compliance, the ACM has ordered Apple to allow dating apps in the Netherlands to use third-party and alternate payment methods, therefore bypassing Apple's in-app payment system -- and the company's 30% commission.
The ACM has previously denied an Apple proposal, stating that the Cupertino tech giant's policies are "unreasonable."
Apple denies that it has a dominant position in the market. The company has also made it clear that it will still pursue its 15% or 30% cut, even without its current in-app purchase system.
Earlier on Friday, the European Union officially agreed on rules surrounding its Digital Markets Act, which would force Apple and Google to allow alternate payments and third-party app stores on iOS in Europe. The rules are slated to come into effect in October.
Read on AppleInsider
App Store on an iPhone
After weeks of fines for failing to comply with an order to implement alternate payment options in the country, Apple submitted a new proposal to the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) in an effort to comply with the order.
However, an ACM official has told Reuters that Apple's latest bid still does not fully comply with its order.
Because of that, Apple is set to be hit with another fine in the week of March 28. Per ACM regulations, once the penalties reach the 50 million euro threshold, subsequent fines could be higher.
Apple started racking up fines in the Netherlands after an ACM investigation found that the iPhone maker's business practices amounted to a dominant market position. However, the scope of the investigation was later shifted to focus solely on dating apps.
In other words, to come into compliance, the ACM has ordered Apple to allow dating apps in the Netherlands to use third-party and alternate payment methods, therefore bypassing Apple's in-app payment system -- and the company's 30% commission.
The ACM has previously denied an Apple proposal, stating that the Cupertino tech giant's policies are "unreasonable."
Apple denies that it has a dominant position in the market. The company has also made it clear that it will still pursue its 15% or 30% cut, even without its current in-app purchase system.
Earlier on Friday, the European Union officially agreed on rules surrounding its Digital Markets Act, which would force Apple and Google to allow alternate payments and third-party app stores on iOS in Europe. The rules are slated to come into effect in October.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
The overall quality of the Appstore and it's App Review is quite absymal and seems more motivated on Apple's side by greed (case in point adverts you have to scroll over for the 'real' results instead of cheap rip-offs) than by 'wanting to deliver a good customer experience'.
You can see that more and more with Apple digital services, their quality has deteriorated since Tim became Chief Excel Operator. Great for shareholder value, very bad for customers and I'm sure in the medium to long term this will be a leading cause for Apple's eventual decline. I've been holding Apple shares since way before the iPhone days (with my buying price of less thatn $2 that has been VERY profitable I admit), but right now Apple's future hasn't been looking that dark since the early 90's, the way management is currently behaving.
They are living off their substance and definitely lost their edge from the '00s. After the 'maker' generation in leadership (Jony, Steve), we're currently running the 'preserving' generation (less innovation, while milking every little drop of the existing products, while wasting billions on 'innovations' that don't materialize), I'm pretty sure the 'next' generation will destroy it all ... and Tim pretty much said he'll probably leave within the decade. I'm not sure when 'Peak Apple' will be, but my guess is, within the next 5 years.
It's clear this judgement will go back to appeals, since the accomodations required by the Dutch are beyond the scope of satisfying the judgement.