avon b7

9secondkox2 said:

nubus said:

Vestager is ultra pro open markets. It seems not all here get that part. She is pushing for competition all the way by keeping competition fair. If you're like Apple doing tax evasion with a "Double Irish with Dutch Sandwich" model then you can expect to take some heat. And EU is by the way not keeping fines. Those fines are 1:1 deducted from what the countries pay and EU can't charge taxes on their own. EU is not like the US government.

If Apple can't handle a person running things by the book, fighting for open markets, and being passionate about fair competition then the person replacing Vestager later this year will be a nightmare to Apple. The election earlier this month gave nationalistic parties more votes. Trade protectionism is high on their agenda. Tim Cook shouting at Vestager has all the way been very unprofessional. You don't see him like that when working with communist dictatorships.

Apple has always been an open market player. 

So your fluff piece is moot. 

Apple operates a store. Apple gets its commission. Boom done. 

This is how it’s been done in the history of stores to this day. 

What stores dont do:

A) host signs and banners telling you to go to one of your vendors house to get a shirt for cheaper. 

use Billy bobs payment system since Billy Bob sells sandals in your store. 

C) let vendors put up their own store inside of your store and not pay a commission on sold items
and rent) 

it’s flat out criminal what this corrupt organization has done. They’ve basically robbed Apple and then made them pay to operate other people’s marketing, hosting, and discovery. The heck out of here. 

Try selling something through Walmart and pull these things: you’ll ba banned from selling through them and all affiliates and partners for life. And that’s what should have happened here. Penalize the contract-breakers, the thieves, and the hijackers, not the store operator. 

Common sense does not exist in European government. 

The store itself isn't really as much of a problem as the platform it is on. A platform that limits competitors. 

It's not about a store in a store. It's about alternative stores on the platform. 

As Apple has the keys to the gate it was deemed a gatekeeper. It got away with that unfair for years. 

Cesar Battistini Maziero said:

Apple should just. let it crash and burn.

And them make a detailed video campaign about how the EU is taking away users freedom to choose a platform that is closed and secure.

I really wish someone would survey this and plunk the truth on the table. 

I'll set out my stalk. 

IMO, virtually no iOS user is remotely aware of the limitations Apple imposes on them. 

They are unaware of the wallet/NFC limitations. 

Unaware of the Web Kit restrictions. 

Unaware of the App Store restrictions. Both in terms of content and actual stores. 

Unaware of the commissions. 

Unaware of the harm that is being caused to them.

That is what 'closed and secure' means, does it not? 

Now. Why not be up front on all this? Why not explain these impositions, simply and clearly, and ask consumers to sign off on them prior to purchase?

I think you will see a massive change of heart from these people and of course that's why Apple would never ever be up front about it and would rather comply with the EU stance. Even if signing off on the restrictions might conceivably get them off many an anti-trust hook. 

foregoneconclusion said:

avon b7 said: I also agree with you. Apple is dragging its feet and making, minimum to no effort, to comply with a law that is actually easy to define in terms of spirit. 

LOL...Apple made massive changes to iOS in a very short period of time as a result of the DMA going into effect. The reality of the Core Technology Fee is that Apple is doing what the EU itself did with the DMA: charge $$ for size...in this case, number of annual installs instead of number of monthly users. 

Laugh all you want but we'll see who has the last laugh. 

Those 'massive' changes were made under pressure to correct (in essence) a situation that was harming EU consumers and should never have been there in the first place. It still is and that's why the possibility of a fine remains.

spheric said:

gatorguy said:

spheric said:

rob53 said:

I have very serious issues with the dictatorship called the EU. 

The fact that a democratically elected government is "dictating" rules that all businesses — even foreign ones — need to follow (we call them "laws") does not make them a "dictatorship". 

You'd just rather not have to follow the law. 

Apple doesn't just follow the law, they follow the spirit of the law. 

In this case, they're absolutely not following the spirit of the law. 

They're complying with the letter, but adding extra levies to ensure that following the law makes effectively no difference. 

That's the opposite of "following the spirit of the law", and it didn't fly with the EU commission. 

I think he is with you on this and just drawing attention to the claims by Apple that they are the 'good guys done wrong'. Maybe the /s missing but Apple likes to fire off PR soundbytes of the type 'we follow the law', 'we follow the spirit of the law' or 'we have values' which in many cases just don't pass the sniff test.

Anyway that's how I read his comment. 

I also agree with you. Apple is dragging it's feet and making, minimum to no effort, to comply with a law that is actually easy to define in terms of spirit. 

As Epic might say: malicious compliance. 

Not exactly a model for values. More a case of having its cake and wanting to eat it. 

I'm somewhat shocked that they even tried to run with the 'core technology fee' which, to my mind is a flagrant move at laughing right into the EU's collective face. Although the focus here seems to be still on the anti-steering side of things. 

9secondkox2 said:

We knew this was happening as soon as they pretended to “investigate. 

The whole thing was and is a railroad job. 

It’s a government. So they can just be dictators based on that alone. 

Nonsense. There have been lots of successful appeals against EU decisions. And by US companies! 

Aren't you jumping the gun here by not actually waiting for a fine to be imposed or listening to the reasons behind it? 

"Patience, young grasshopper"