3 ms·

What magic does apple work behind the scenes to avoid scrutiny? If we're talking about hidden taxes, surely the only app store allowed on 50% of smart phones ta

What magic does apple work behind the scenes to avoid scrutiny? If we're talking about hidden taxes, surely the only app store allowed on 50% of smart phones taking 30% is a hidden tax? And if not that, surely visa/mastercard's fee is it's own hidden tax?

betenoire 3y ago
What's the android version of Amazon, again? These are clearly different scales of manipulation. On one hand, you have a brand controlling their own luxury devices, and on the other, you have a brand controlling literally everything else.
- ApolloFortyNine 3y ago
  Walmart? Every grocery store? Its hardly required to shop at Amazon if your point is it's a true monopoly, I'm not sure what domain you're trying to say they're the only competitor in. Prioritizing your own brand has been the norm at every grocery store I've ever been to.
Ensorceled 3y ago
Yes, the FTC should look at Apple. But Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook would all be higher on my "FTC TECH TODO" list than Apple so I'm not sure why you focused on Apple in this "whatabout"?
- Twisell 3y ago
  Beside DOJ did pretty harshly condemned Apple for the MFN they implemented for eBooks in 2013. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Apple_Inc https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Apple_Inc. Interestingly one of the possible starting point for this investigation was a complain from Amazon to the FTC. I am eagerly awaiting the acrobatic justifications Amazon lawyers will have to find out to justify that their MFN clause is perfectly legal without contradicting their own claims of the 2013 case...
- ApolloFortyNine 3y ago
  Well Google, Amazon, and Facebook simply don't have monopolies, though if you define the market as iPhone app, then Apple does, no argument. And the harm to consumer is incredibly easy to spot, a 30% tax on any app purchase or in app purchase. Each of the web companies also have one of the most comically low barriers to change of any 'monopoly'. When att was broken up it was truly the only phone carrier for much of the US, switching was borderline impossible. You could replace Google search in the next 30 seconds.

betenoire 3y ago

What's the android version of Amazon, again? These are clearly different scales of manipulation. On one hand, you have a brand controlling their own luxury devices, and on the other, you have a brand controlling literally everything else.

ApolloFortyNine 3y ago
Walmart? Every grocery store? Its hardly required to shop at Amazon if your point is it's a true monopoly, I'm not sure what domain you're trying to say they're the only competitor in. Prioritizing your own brand has been the norm at every grocery store I've ever been to.

Ensorceled 3y ago

Yes, the FTC should look at Apple. But Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook would all be higher on my "FTC TECH TODO" list than Apple so I'm not sure why you focused on Apple in this "whatabout"?

Twisell 3y ago
Beside DOJ did pretty harshly condemned Apple for the MFN they implemented for eBooks in 2013. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Apple_Inc https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Apple_Inc. Interestingly one of the possible starting point for this investigation was a complain from Amazon to the FTC. I am eagerly awaiting the acrobatic justifications Amazon lawyers will have to find out to justify that their MFN clause is perfectly legal without contradicting their own claims of the 2013 case...
ApolloFortyNine 3y ago
Well Google, Amazon, and Facebook simply don't have monopolies, though if you define the market as iPhone app, then Apple does, no argument. And the harm to consumer is incredibly easy to spot, a 30% tax on any app purchase or in app purchase. Each of the web companies also have one of the most comically low barriers to change of any 'monopoly'. When att was broken up it was truly the only phone carrier for much of the US, switching was borderline impossible. You could replace Google search in the next 30 seconds.