A $2B EU fine days before the DMA goes into effect is a clear warning shot.
Agreed. Apple’s response also bugs me. It ignores Spotify’s contribution to making iOS a valuable platform, and it gripes about inconsequential things like Apple reviewing betas or hosting billions of downloads of the Spotify app. If Apple doesn’t want to host the app, let Spotify host it themselves through sideloading. Problem solved. 🤪
@manton Given how much bragging Apple likes to do about being "behind lots of businesses and entrepreneurs" maybe it's time to consider them a public utility. I'm sure they'd enjoy having those regulators involved in their business.
@manton The contortions of the anti-capitalism phalanx continue to amuse. Could you clarify how hosting billions of downloads is inconsequential?
@manton That's always the fun one, "Well it costs us to host things!" -- Well then let me host it, I can in the enterprise program, why not just open that up to any registered entity? ffs.
@manton And a million other problems created. It’s difficult for me to understand how one side of this argument continues to discount that, for most people, the curated App Store model is safer, easier, and better, and its advantages fall apart quickly when holes are punched in it.
@Dunk I expect hosting and even bandwidth is going to be one of the least expensive parts of running the App Store. It’s always getting cheaper. And those downloads are spread out over a decade.
@jmwolf I wrote a bit about this today:
I believe the best version of iOS, and the App Store, would’ve been one where Apple is a beneficial dictator. One that didn’t feel the need to both take a third of developers revenue, while also competing directly with them. But when they’re just a dictator, I get why regulators are pushing for change.
It sucks that Apple had chosen to not "just" earn billions by being a good platform with good products. 😕
@manton My "favourite" part was this:
A Part of Apple's defense, for a fine for anti-steering for a decade, is that "We stopped* doing it in January!".
Writing about this today, I compared it to being on trial for DUI, and saying to the judge: "But I'm sober now!"
I also "liked" that they said the 3rd party devs compete on a lever playing field - when the case isn't about 3rd party devs vs, 3rd party devs, but Apple vs. 3rd party devs. And they didn't make any arguments for them competing with Spotify on a level playing field.
@jmwolf I'm not convinced the advantages fall apart. I think even with app marketplaces almost everyone is going to use the normal App Store. Likewise with third-party payments, most people will use in-app purchase, and that's fine.
@manton Either millions of people use alternate stores, or the Spotifies and Epics (and eventually Netflixes and Facebooks, and Googles) who claim their business model doesn’t work without them will fail.