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Yesterday, the European Commission announced an investigation into Apple for anti-competitive practices in the App Store.
The decision of the EU Commission to Investigation Spotify has welcomed the decision to initiate legal proceedings against Apple. Notice:
Today is a good day for consumers, Spotify and other app developers in Europe and around the world. Apple's anti-competitive behaviour has deliberately disadvantaged competitors and deprived consumers of meaningful choice for far too long. We welcome the European Commission's decision to formally investigate Apple and hope it will act with urgency to ensure fair competition on the iOS platform for all participants in the digital economy.
Is Apple violating EU competition rules?
Apple is currently being investigated in two areas - both of an antitrust nature. Firstly, it is about Apple Pay and the fact that only Apple's own payment service is allowed to use the NFC chip in iPhones and the like, and secondly, the App Store is under fire. Specifically with regard to the App Store, yesterday's statement states:
The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation into whether Apple's rules for app developers on distributing apps through the App Store violate EU competition rules. The investigations concern in particular the mandatory use of Apple's own proprietary in-app purchasing system and restrictions on developers' ability to inform iPhone and iPad users about alternative, cheaper purchasing options outside of apps.
Pressure on Tim Cook grows
Spotify, of course, expressed its delight at the move. The music streaming provider is among those primarily responsible for opposing Apple's actions. Meanwhile, other app providers are also trying to follow Spotify's example. Just this morning, we reported that the new email service "Hey" is attempting to boycott in-app purchases. Furthermore, there are increasing calls for new regulations. But the EU investigation isn't the only one. The US Congress is already investigating the same matter. Due to these intensive investigations, pressure on Tim Cook is also growing. Observers currently believe that the Apple CEO himself will even have to testify before the US Congress and explain Apple's business practices. One thing is clear – this story won't end anytime soon. The only question remains – will anything change? (Photo by vladek / Bigstockphoto)
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