Purely as a matter of fact: given Apple's prices, why don't people buy those EU competitors' products then? Apple products contribute to Europeans' lives to the

Purely as a matter of fact: given Apple's prices, why don't people buy those EU competitors' products then? Apple products contribute to Europeans' lives to the extent precisely measured by how much they're prepared to pay for them. Quite a lot it seems. You could say that the $14 billion or so represent votes for Apple: i.e., it's derived from money freely handed to Apple for something considered of value by the purchasers who have already paid 20% in VAT taxes. Worth pointing out that no detailed evidence or methodology on the Apple case has yet been made public by the EU. The courts will decide.