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[Draugoth]

The European Union leveled its first antitrust penalty against Apple on Monday, fining the U.S. tech giant nearly $2 billion for breaking the bloc’s competition laws by unfairly favoring its own music streaming service over rivals.

Apple muzzled app developers from telling users where they could go to pay for cheaper music subscriptions instead of paying through iOS apps, said the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm and top antitrust enforcer.

“This is illegal. And it has impacted millions of European consumers who were not able to make a free choice as to where, how and at what price to buy music streaming subscriptions,” Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition commissioner, said at a news conference in Brussels.

Apple — which said it contests the decision — behaved this way for a decade, resulting in “millions of people who have paid two, three euros more per month for their music streaming service than they would otherwise have had to pay,” she said.

Source

 

[Grildon Tundy]

I wish the US government had the plums to watch out for consumers instead of their clients (mega-corporations) like the EU does.

 

[DeafTourette]

The European Union leveled its first antitrust penalty against Apple on Monday, fining the U.S. tech giant nearly $2 billion for breaking the bloc’s competition laws by unfairly favoring its own music streaming service over rivals.

Apple muzzled app developers from telling users where they could go to pay for cheaper music subscriptions instead of paying through iOS apps, said the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm and top antitrust enforcer.



Apple — which said it contests the decision — behaved this way for a decade, resulting in “millions of people who have paid two, three euros more per month for their music streaming service than they would otherwise have had to pay,” she said.

Source

Good! Mega-corps are an evil that needs to be eradicated!

 

[jason10mm]

This only works when 1 company makes the device, runs the software on the device, has a music service of its own, and can reserve the best usability features for itself in order to 'justify' more $$$.

Apple should have never been allowed to be a content producer and distributor.

 

[Dancer_BV]

Two-billion damage against the raid boss. Could we even see its health bar move?

 

[Cyberpunkd]

FYI, this is something more complex than „favouring it’s own music services”. Basically Apple didn’t tell users that by signing up for a service outside iOS ecosystem they will not pay a dollar or two extra.
All apps where you can subscribe via your iPhone charge extra due to „Apple tax” e.g. Spotify. If you sign up via a website the price is lower for the same service.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I havent read the details or anything, I'm just by what's posted, but how is this any different than a supplier selling stuff to a grocery store, and the grocery store telling them dont go around telling people it's cheaper at Walmart or directly from your own website?

 

[Unknown Soldier]

I wish the US government had the plums to watch out for consumers instead of their clients (mega-corporations) like the EU does.

Both the US and EU approved the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Only the UK dissented

The EU only fines these corporations for the free money, they couldn't give less of a fuck about consumers

 

[Soodanim]

Both the US and EU approved the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Only the UK dissented

The EU only fines these corporations for the free money, they couldn't give less of a fuck about consumers

I don't think it's quite that bad, some of the regulations are leading the way. Forcing Apple to go to USB-C, for example. There's also Apple having to allow 3rd party app stores.

 

[Goalus]

Both the US and EU approved the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Only the UK dissented

They would have lost in court if they had not given their approval.

They were eager to defend Sony though, so you might have a point. Just not in the way you think.

This only works when 1 company makes the device, runs the software on the device, has a music service of its own, and can reserve the best usability features for itself in order to 'justify' more $$$.

Apple should have never been allowed to be a content producer and distributor.

No one is forced to buy an Apple device. In fact, Apple is the only big tech company that can be completely avoided without losing any bit of convenience. Apple will never see a single cent from me, and I don't have to sacrifice anything for that.

 

[Erebus]

Man, EU just loves to fine Apple.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

Man, EU just loves to fine Apple.

Or, Apple likes to fuck consumers over.

 

[Erebus]

Or, Apple likes to fuck consumers over.

And consumers are free to not choose Apple products if they feel like it. There are alternatives.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

And consumers are free to not choose Apple products if they feel like it. There are alternatives.

The invisible hand of the market, amirite?

 

[YCoCg]

I havent read the details or anything, I'm just by what's posted, but how is this any different than a supplier selling stuff to a grocery store, and the grocery store telling them dont go around telling people it's cheaper at Walmart or directly from your own website?

I'm not sure how it is in the US but here in the UK stores can advertise what products are cheaper and list rivals prices.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

And consumers are free to not choose Apple products if they feel like it. There are alternatives.

Not if there isn’t any meaningful competition that can’t thrive because Apple and Google are suffocating the market.

Apple buys every 3nm chip produced, no small business can compete or outspend them.

Or when Apple uses its funds to pay thousand's engineers to patent stuff, not to use it but to make it hard for others to compete etc.

Or when they put arbitrary software gates into their products to make it less compelling using Apple alternatives on their hardware.

 

[Bojji]

And consumers are free to not choose Apple products if they feel like it. There are alternatives.

The invisible hand of the market, amirite?

Not if there isn’t any meaningful competition that can’t thrive because Apple and Google are suffocating the market.

Apple buys every 3nm chip produced, no small business can compete or outspend them.

Or when Apple uses its funds to pay thousand's engineers to patent stuff, not to use it but to make it hard for others to compete etc.

Or when they put arbitrary software gates into their products to make it less compelling using Apple alternatives on their hardware.

Yep, Apple and Google created duopoly.

Free market and "consumers choice" only work correctly when there is a lot of competition but two trillion dollars corporations are not really competing very much when they basically own the market.

 

[AJUMP23]

I wish the US government had the plums to watch out for consumers instead of their clients (mega-corporations) like the EU does.

The EU nor the US gov are looking out for the little guy. Neither ae your friend, they just want more ways of generating revenue. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

The EU nor the US gov are looking out for the little guy. Neither ae your friend, they just want more ways of generating revenue. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

If a bully punches the other bully who has been punching me lately, and it means I'm not getting punched for a few minutes, I'll take it.

 

[AJUMP23]

If a bully punches the other bully who has been punching me lately, and it means I'm not getting punched for a few minutes, I'll take it.

What percentage of the 2 Billion are you getting.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

What percentage of the 2 Billion are you getting.

Depends on if it dissuades Apple from obfuscating pricing in the future and whether I would've been suckered into it. Like $3?

 

[AJUMP23]

Depends on if it dissuades Apple from obfuscating pricing in the future and whether I would've been suckered into it. Like $3?

They will find another way. I have no faith in the corporations of the governments. I do however like a free market. And the only person that can protect the consumer is the consumer.

 

[Erebus]

Yep, Apple and Google created duopoly.

Free market and "consumers choice" only work correctly when there is a lot of competition but two trillion dollars corporations are not really competing very much when they basically own the market.

This was not always the case though. In the past, there was more competition, and Apple wasn't a trillion-dollar company when it introduced the first iPhone.

 

[YCoCg]

And the only person that can protect the consumer is the consumer.

Consumers can be easily manipulated, see fanboys or things like Americas weird obsession with green Vs blue bubbles.

 

[AJUMP23]

Consumers can be easily manipulated, see fanboys or things like Americas weird obsession with green Vs blue bubbles.

I agree that is why advertising and scams exist.

 

[YCoCg]

This was not always the case though. In the past, there was more competition, and Apple wasn't a trillion-dollar company when it introduced the first iPhone.

You should watch BlackBerry if you haven't seen it, a good insight to the chaos of the phone industry when Apple dropped the iPhone and how carriers flipped to data instead of call time, etc.

 

[Ozriel]

What percentage of the 2 Billion are you getting.

Apple iPhone users in the EU now have access to different browser engines and alternative app stores.

Hard to argue that EU’s regulatory intervention has no tangible benefits to consumers.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

The annoying part is Apple's stock has been going down for quite a while. But overall, Apple - "the iPhone company" - is not doing great anywhere.

 

[ForAcademicPurposes]

Can I have some?

 

[Soodanim]

The annoying part is Apple's stock has been going down for quite a while. But overall, Apple - "the iPhone company" - is not doing great anywhere.

Last I heard they regained the market share crown in US

 

[Bojji]

This was not always the case though. In the past, there was more competition, and Apple wasn't a trillion-dollar company when it introduced the first iPhone.

This "trillion dollar companies" thing is reflectively new, Apple was still massive company when they introduced Iphone and they used their influence (fanboys, connections and money) to get to the top quickly. Some small company couldn't do that.

 

[Panajev2001a]

What percentage of the 2 Billion are you getting.

It does not matter, the point is that Apple is fined enough to take it seriously. They could burn the money for all I care. Maybe it should go to charities, maybe it should go to public works, etc… it does not matter. If it is put to good use great, but the point of punitive damages is to hurt the big companies abusing their position and power…

Otherwise breaking the law becomes just an operational cost.

 

[Musashipan]

Love it
Rotten apple isn't untouchable.
Good job EU