As I've said many times before, people have plenty of choices on what products they want to buy. If you don't like Apple's way of doing things go with an Android platform or demand a company in the EU to build a new platform. Just because Apple's platform is the one many people want to use doesn't mean the EU has any right to tell Apple what to do. If you don't like what Apple is doing, find another platform. It's just like wine. If you don't want to pay for wine made in the EU, then grow your own, which the USA has done.
As I've said many times before, the current issue is not about users having choice, it is about the ant-competitive laws that are applicable in the EU. These laws are one of the cornerstones of EU, going back to the founding of the EU. The anti-competitve laws are mainly there to protect smaller companies from the power abuse of larger companies.
And the ant-steering rule that Apple was imposing in its App Store guidelines to tthe app developers, is without discussion (even Apple acknowledges it now) a schoolbook example of anti-competitive behaviour.
It remains a big question mark whether the 27% cut rule Apple is using now iso. the anti-steering rule, will not be considered as anti-competitive.
In case you wonder, the EU anti-competitive laws are applied evenly strictly to large EU companies. AB Inbev, the Belgian brewer who owns Budweiser, got also a huge fine for anti-competitive behaviour. If Apple want to do business in the EU, it must comply to these EU laws.
As I have noted, if the intent is to make the EU more competitive, the DMA fails.
If the intent is give a better deal to local developers, including market leader Spotify, then the EU is successful.
I question whether this is beneficial to the consumer. It appears to merely shift revenue from larger corporations to smaller.
Also, never allowing competition to exist in certain areas. Alternative app stores, NFC, being the sole voice on what is and isn't acceptable...
As for their being nothing in the DMA against Apple imposing a 27% commission on transactions outside its realm, I'd argue that there doesn't need to be, as the whole point was to stimulate competition and Apple taking a cut from everywhere there is app related business going on flies directly in the face of that so I doubt it will pass the sniff test again.
On the note about alternative app stores, attributes built into the device including but not limited to NFC…
Apple could go back to a hardware device like the one in launched in 2007, no app stores whatsoever, no NFC. Would they be happy then? The EU, Spotify, Epic, etc wants the bread without having any involvement in the creation of it. Apple didn’t have to EVER allow 3rd party apps or give them apis for a very low yearly fee of $100. You want drivers for wifi, Bluetooth, nfc, the screen, apples native gpu, the ML cores, memory management, etc etc etc… you want to run on apples ecosystem, you gotta play by their rules and monetary requirements.
Like Apple has said, they will get their money one way or another. There’s no free lunch. What’s going to happen is the cost to get into iOS development will go up. You’ll be paying a much higher price for APIs, SDKs, IDEs… maybe a subscription to use them, or maybe charged how much an app accesses them. Other alternatives are Apple may just pull out, or (highly doubt this one) but sell a completely different device with no frills in the EU (think returning to 2007).
I don’t think apples current fees are unfair. I have developed for iOS a few years ago. I still write software, but not for iOS at the moment.
Also, never allowing competition to exist in certain areas. Alternative app stores, NFC, being the sole voice on what is and isn't acceptable...
As for their being nothing in the DMA against Apple imposing a 27% commission on transactions outside its realm, I'd argue that there doesn't need to be, as the whole point was to stimulate competition and Apple taking a cut from everywhere there is app related business going on flies directly in the face of that so I doubt it will pass the sniff test again.
On the note about alternative app stores, attributes built into the device including but not limited to NFC…
Apple could go back to a hardware device like the one in launched in 2007, no app stores whatsoever, no NFC. Would they be happy then? The EU, Spotify, Epic, etc wants the bread without having any involvement in the creation of it. Apple didn’t have to EVER allow 3rd party apps or give them apis for a very low yearly fee of $100. You want drivers for wifi, Bluetooth, nfc, the screen, apples native gpu, the ML cores, memory management, etc etc etc… you want to run on apples ecosystem, you gotta play by their rules and monetary requirements.
Like Apple has said, they will get their money one way or another. There’s no free lunch. What’s going to happen is the cost to get into iOS development will go up. You’ll be paying a much higher price for APIs, SDKs, IDEs… maybe a subscription to use them, or maybe charged how much an app accesses them. Other alternatives are Apple may just pull out, or (highly doubt this one) but sell a completely different device with no frills in the EU (think returning to 2007).
I don’t think apples current fees are unfair. I have developed for iOS a few years ago. I still write software, but not for iOS at the moment.
2007 is not 2024 and there is a HUGE difference in market and lifestyle realities.
Apple got so far without issue (and used that reality to cement that position) precisely because it was small enough to fall under the radar.
As we move into the digital era and gatekeepers to the digital realm come to the fore, so do regulations and limitations.
Also, never allowing competition to exist in certain areas. Alternative app stores, NFC, being the sole voice on what is and isn't acceptable...
As for their being nothing in the DMA against Apple imposing a 27% commission on transactions outside its realm, I'd argue that there doesn't need to be, as the whole point was to stimulate competition and Apple taking a cut from everywhere there is app related business going on flies directly in the face of that so I doubt it will pass the sniff test again.
On the note about alternative app stores, attributes built into the device including but not limited to NFC…
Apple could go back to a hardware device like the one in launched in 2007, no app stores whatsoever, no NFC. Would they be happy then? The EU, Spotify, Epic, etc wants the bread without having any involvement in the creation of it. Apple didn’t have to EVER allow 3rd party apps or give them apis for a very low yearly fee of $100. You want drivers for wifi, Bluetooth, nfc, the screen, apples native gpu, the ML cores, memory management, etc etc etc… you want to run on apples ecosystem, you gotta play by their rules and monetary requirements.
Like Apple has said, they will get their money one way or another. There’s no free lunch. What’s going to happen is the cost to get into iOS development will go up. You’ll be paying a much higher price for APIs, SDKs, IDEs… maybe a subscription to use them, or maybe charged how much an app accesses them. Other alternatives are Apple may just pull out, or (highly doubt this one) but sell a completely different device with no frills in the EU (think returning to 2007).
I don’t think apples current fees are unfair. I have developed for iOS a few years ago. I still write software, but not for iOS at the moment.
2007 is not 2024 and there is a HUGE difference in market and lifestyle realities.
Apple got so far without issue (and used that reality to cement that position) precisely because it was small enough to fall under the radar.
As we move into the digital era and gatekeepers to the digital realm come to the fore, so do regulations and limitations.
So what if Apple decides to remove NFC altogether? Will the EU mandate that Apple add it back in? Sounds like they are verging on the control of how the device is designed. That’s EXACTLY what’s happening with it - Apple added it to the device to serve their needs and their customers’ convenience. Apple doesn’t have to do squat. They made the bread and the EU had no part in it, but now that it’s made they want to partake. The EU: “Give it to us or else we’ll force you to give it to us…”
I wish Apple would just stop sales in the EU and move on. They don’t deserve the iPhone with the rules they are putting in place. They probably won’t due to the cash hit they would take, but seriously, the EU is being worse than a 5 year old child.
Also, never allowing competition to exist in certain areas. Alternative app stores, NFC, being the sole voice on what is and isn't acceptable...
As for their being nothing in the DMA against Apple imposing a 27% commission on transactions outside its realm, I'd argue that there doesn't need to be, as the whole point was to stimulate competition and Apple taking a cut from everywhere there is app related business going on flies directly in the face of that so I doubt it will pass the sniff test again.
On the note about alternative app stores, attributes built into the device including but not limited to NFC…
Apple could go back to a hardware device like the one in launched in 2007, no app stores whatsoever, no NFC. Would they be happy then? The EU, Spotify, Epic, etc wants the bread without having any involvement in the creation of it. Apple didn’t have to EVER allow 3rd party apps or give them apis for a very low yearly fee of $100. You want drivers for wifi, Bluetooth, nfc, the screen, apples native gpu, the ML cores, memory management, etc etc etc… you want to run on apples ecosystem, you gotta play by their rules and monetary requirements.
Like Apple has said, they will get their money one way or another. There’s no free lunch. What’s going to happen is the cost to get into iOS development will go up. You’ll be paying a much higher price for APIs, SDKs, IDEs… maybe a subscription to use them, or maybe charged how much an app accesses them. Other alternatives are Apple may just pull out, or (highly doubt this one) but sell a completely different device with no frills in the EU (think returning to 2007).
I don’t think apples current fees are unfair. I have developed for iOS a few years ago. I still write software, but not for iOS at the moment.
2007 is not 2024 and there is a HUGE difference in market and lifestyle realities.
Apple got so far without issue (and used that reality to cement that position) precisely because it was small enough to fall under the radar.
As we move into the digital era and gatekeepers to the digital realm come to the fore, so do regulations and limitations.
So what if Apple decides to remove NFC altogether? Will the EU mandate that Apple add it back in? Sounds like they are verging on the control of how the device is designed. That’s EXACTLY what’s happening with it - Apple added it to the device to serve their needs and their customers’ convenience. Apple doesn’t have to do squat. They made the bread and the EU had no part in it, but now that it’s made they want to partake. The EU: “Give it to us or else we’ll force you to give it to us…”
I wish Apple would just stop sales in the EU and move on. They don’t deserve the iPhone with the rules they are putting in place. They probably won’t due to the cash hit they would take, but seriously, the EU is being worse than a 5 year old child.
That’s not exactly what is happening. For example RoHS was necessary. The same applied to WEEE. The common charger initiative was a long time coming and only had to be legislated for after the industry failed to harmonise charging. The batteries directive is another good example of necessary legislation. As was extending warranties to three years and pushing for right to repair.
You will find little to zero pushback against any of that in the EU.
NFC is not an Apple thing. Apple implemented it and then decided to exclude competitors from using it purely for financial reasons. That is what was challenged and that has been dealt with.
It is highly likely that the same decisions will be taken in other jurisdictions as the EU is often the leader in these kinds of directives and then others follow.
Apple won't withdraw from markets it needs for survival.
Also, never allowing competition to exist in certain areas. Alternative app stores, NFC, being the sole voice on what is and isn't acceptable...
As for their being nothing in the DMA against Apple imposing a 27% commission on transactions outside its realm, I'd argue that there doesn't need to be, as the whole point was to stimulate competition and Apple taking a cut from everywhere there is app related business going on flies directly in the face of that so I doubt it will pass the sniff test again.
On the note about alternative app stores, attributes built into the device including but not limited to NFC…
Apple could go back to a hardware device like the one in launched in 2007, no app stores whatsoever, no NFC. Would they be happy then? The EU, Spotify, Epic, etc wants the bread without having any involvement in the creation of it. Apple didn’t have to EVER allow 3rd party apps or give them apis for a very low yearly fee of $100. You want drivers for wifi, Bluetooth, nfc, the screen, apples native gpu, the ML cores, memory management, etc etc etc… you want to run on apples ecosystem, you gotta play by their rules and monetary requirements.
Like Apple has said, they will get their money one way or another. There’s no free lunch. What’s going to happen is the cost to get into iOS development will go up. You’ll be paying a much higher price for APIs, SDKs, IDEs… maybe a subscription to use them, or maybe charged how much an app accesses them. Other alternatives are Apple may just pull out, or (highly doubt this one) but sell a completely different device with no frills in the EU (think returning to 2007).
I don’t think apples current fees are unfair. I have developed for iOS a few years ago. I still write software, but not for iOS at the moment.
2007 is not 2024 and there is a HUGE difference in market and lifestyle realities.
Apple got so far without issue (and used that reality to cement that position) precisely because it was small enough to fall under the radar.
As we move into the digital era and gatekeepers to the digital realm come to the fore, so do regulations and limitations.
So what if Apple decides to remove NFC altogether? Will the EU mandate that Apple add it back in? Sounds like they are verging on the control of how the device is designed. That’s EXACTLY what’s happening with it - Apple added it to the device to serve their needs and their customers’ convenience. Apple doesn’t have to do squat. They made the bread and the EU had no part in it, but now that it’s made they want to partake. The EU: “Give it to us or else we’ll force you to give it to us…”
I wish Apple would just stop sales in the EU and move on. They don’t deserve the iPhone with the rules they are putting in place. They probably won’t due to the cash hit they would take, but seriously, the EU is being worse than a 5 year old child.
That’s not exactly what is happening. For example RoHS was necessary. The same applied to WEEE. The common charger initiative was a long time coming and only had to be legislated for after the industry failed to harmonise charging. The batteries directive is another good example of necessary legislation. As was extending warranties to three years and pushing for right to repair.
You will find little to zero pushback against any of that in the EU.
NFC is not an Apple thing. Apple implemented it and then decided to exclude competitors from using it purely for financial reasons. That is what was challenged and that has been dealt with.
It is highly likely that the same decisions will be taken in other jurisdictions as the EU is often the leader in these kinds of directives and then others follow.
Apple won't withdraw from markets it needs for survival.
apple didn’t invent it but they decided to incorporate it in their design/hardware, a choice they didn’t have to do and actually were “late” in that regard. Is there a law if a device has nfc that it has to be completely open for other uses for which it was not intended?
Just because it’s a “leader” doesn’t mean it is right or good. In large part with the court saga with epic was pretty decisive in favor of Apple. That’s an example where the judge saw through the bull crap.
why not just buy an android, or some other phone, there are other options that are more “open”. Heck, the EU could even make their own state sanctioned forked version of android.
I also disagree with the ruling on usb-c vs lightning, not that I prefer lightning, but it’s apples choice to stick with it. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it. I also waited many, many years to buy this iPhone 12 because I don’t like the the bigger screens. I still like the iPhone 5 size. Should the EU force iPad phones or more mini phones too because reasons?
I vote with my wallet, which is why I’ve not purchased another iPhone since (no mini). Don’t like that there’s no alternative app stores? Go somewhere else. Apples device, apples rules. To change that is to dictate the design.
next thing you know is that the EU will dictate that game consoles will have to have alternative stores, or that all refrigerators should also make toast.
Comments
If the intent is give a better deal to local developers, including market leader Spotify, then the EU is successful.
I question whether this is beneficial to the consumer. It appears to merely shift revenue from larger corporations to smaller.
Apple got so far without issue (and used that reality to cement that position) precisely because it was small enough to fall under the radar.
As we move into the digital era and gatekeepers to the digital realm come to the fore, so do regulations and limitations.
I wish Apple would just stop sales in the EU and move on. They don’t deserve the iPhone with the rules they are putting in place. They probably won’t due to the cash hit they would take, but seriously, the EU is being worse than a 5 year old child.
You will find little to zero pushback against any of that in the EU.
NFC is not an Apple thing. Apple implemented it and then decided to exclude competitors from using it purely for financial reasons. That is what was challenged and that has been dealt with.
It is highly likely that the same decisions will be taken in other jurisdictions as the EU is often the leader in these kinds of directives and then others follow.
Apple won't withdraw from markets it needs for survival.
Just because it’s a “leader” doesn’t mean it is right or good. In large part with the court saga with epic was pretty decisive in favor of Apple. That’s an example where the judge saw through the bull crap.
why not just buy an android, or some other phone, there are other options that are more “open”. Heck, the EU could even make their own state sanctioned forked version of android.
I also disagree with the ruling on usb-c vs lightning, not that I prefer lightning, but it’s apples choice to stick with it. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it. I also waited many, many years to buy this iPhone 12 because I don’t like the the bigger screens. I still like the iPhone 5 size. Should the EU force iPad phones or more mini phones too because reasons?
I vote with my wallet, which is why I’ve not purchased another iPhone since (no mini). Don’t like that there’s no alternative app stores? Go somewhere else. Apples device, apples rules. To change that is to dictate the design.
next thing you know is that the EU will dictate that game consoles will have to have alternative stores, or that all refrigerators should also make toast.