Just as Microsoft were stopped from shipping a browser with their OS, vendors should be prevented from shipping an App Store with their OS. You cant move to another platform without losing access to all your "purchases" - there is no free market. They have monopolies within ecosystems they created. They should be FORCED to have an open platform, with users able to access multiple 3rd party storefronts on multiple pla…
> Just as Microsoft were stopped from shipping a browser with their OS What do you mean? Every time I've installed Windows, it came with Internet Explorer or Edge (which I then used to install another browser).
Spotify to Apple: Time to Play Fair
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Re: Spotify to Apple: Time to Play Fair
#182The timing of this is interesting in the context of Elizabeth Warren’s recent proposal to forbid platform operators from also being participants on their own platforms. It looks like they’ve filed a complaint with the EU Commission; I wonder if it will become a talking point in US politics as well.
Re: Spotify to Apple: Time to Play Fair
#183Re: Spotify to Apple: Time to Play Fair
#184Antitrust is a useful tool for when players end up controlling monopolies and using them in anti-competitive ways.
Re: Spotify to Apple: Time to Play Fair
#185I agree that Spotify is taking the right stance. In their position, working on whatever team is responsible for fighting Apple, I would also do anything in my power to fight. Having said this, Apple can do as they please. They control the hardware, the OS, the App Store, and the user accounts. The same was true of Twitter who effectively squeezed access to their API until one or two desktop clients remained. The only…
Re: Spotify to Apple: Time to Play Fair
#186Earlier quoted context omitted.
Unless "everyone" also includes Apple Music, then it's anti-competitive.
That’s like demanding newpapers pay full price for ad space on their own pages. Just absurd. What does it even mean, Apple owns Apple Music.
Apple could charge themselves the 30% App Store fee for Apple Music, demonstrating that the App Store is a fair marketplace that doesn't artificially advantage Apple's own services. It would then be incumbent on Apple to prove that Apple Music is priced fairly, rather than being deliberately operated at a loss to squeeze other streaming music services out of the market.
Re: Spotify to Apple: Time to Play Fair
#187I agree that Spotify is taking the right stance. In their position, working on whatever team is responsible for fighting Apple, I would also do anything in my power to fight. Having said this, Apple can do as they please. They control the hardware, the OS, the App Store, and the user accounts. The same was true of Twitter who effectively squeezed access to their API until one or two desktop clients remained. The only…
Apple shrugs and bans Spotify. Next move?
Re: Spotify to Apple: Time to Play Fair
#188Software platforms are marketplaces and company behind such platforms yield great power, even if technically speaking they aren't yet a monopoly.
Hardware devices should not be legally allowed to be locked down in the way that Apple devices are. Not sure how many people remember, but Microsoft eventually being forced to provide choice in browsers was a great outcome and allowed Firefox and Chrome to flourish. Yes, Microsoft was at that time a monopoly, whereas Apple right now isn't, but Apple has the potential to be a monopoly. They are after all the richest software company in the world.
Apple succeeded where Microsoft failed, they normalized “trusted computing”, which brought everything we feared.
I very much prefer EU's consumer protectionism in these regards and I'm hoping they'll do something about walled gardens such as Apple's.
Re: Spotify to Apple: Time to Play Fair
#189To whoever is responsible for this page: in the svg files, turn the text into paths, otherwise they look like Arial with terrible kerning. https://i.imgur.com/uLaVwnd.png
Re: Spotify to Apple: Time to Play Fair
#190Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sometimes I think so too. And then I look at the alternative ecosystems. Google? Amazon? Microsoft? Not even tempted...
Why do you need ecosystem own by one company? You can have Ubuntu laptop, Android phone, WebOS TV. They all support Spotify and Netflix, you can cast videos from Android phone to your LG TV.