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Which monopoly is Apple abusing?
by twoodfin 2mo ago
Which monopoly is Apple abusing?
- ApolloFortyNine 2mo agoiPhone apps. If it helps, think if Windows apps had a 5% Microsoft tax and had to be approved by Apple.
- twoodfin 2mo agoI assume you mean approved by Microsoft. When they were found in the US to have a monopoly, they had around 95% of personal computer operating system share. Apple isn’t even close.
- mvdtnz 2mo agoReally? What would you estimate is Apple's market share of iPhone apps if it's so far below 95%?
- syradar 2mo agoWe both know that the market share refers to the smartphone market share of which Apple has about 21%. For iPhone apps Apple is way behind with about 0.005% of the total 2.17 million iPhone apps.
- alkonaut 2mo agoThe ONLY interesting market share here isn't how many apps Apple create, or how large share of the smartphones they have. It's how much of the distribution of apps they control on iOS (which easily reaches the bar of being a market in itself). I.e. the monopoly question is: if apple takes X% for each app in this market, and a competitor can't take less, then it's a monopoly.
- NetMageSCW 2mo agoThe only interesting market is comments labels as from alkonaut and if no one else can make such a comment, that is monopoly that should be regulated.
- alkonaut 2mo agoYes indeed if this wad important enough in people’s lives or the economy as a whole I should be regulated, divided or possibly even nationalized.
- happymellon 2mo agoJust because they took too long to look at a problem, does not stop something else from being a problem.
- deleted 2mo ago[deleted]
- like_any_other 2mo ago'Monopoly' is the wrong term. It's abuse of market power.
- subarctic 2mo agoApple and google essentially own 99%+ of the smartphone market, so it's not that different from a monopoly
- Gud 2mo agoDistribution of software on iOS?
- pjmlp 2mo agoThat isn't one by law.
- IneffablePigeon 2mo agoWhich law? Seems like it is under EU law.
- pjmlp 2mo agoAny country in the world with working democracy, there is a very precise definition of what monopoly is.
- happymellon 2mo ago> In law, a monopoly is a business entity that has significant market power, that is, the power to charge overly high prices, which is associated with unfair price raises.[3] Although monopolies may be big businesses, size is not a characteristic of a monopoly. A small business may still have the power to raise prices in a small industry (or market).[3] All countries with a working democracy would class Apple as a monopoly as it has significant market power, enough to distort prices. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopoly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopoly
- pjmlp 2mo agoNot for the nerd definition of iOS as a market. The market is mobile devices.
- AnthonyMouse 2mo agoA market is the set of things which are fungible substitutes for each other. Essentially every brand of gasoline is in the same market. By contrast, gasoline and diesel are separate markets, because some vehicles require gasoline and can't use diesel and others the other way around. They're not substitutes when your vehicle can only use one of them and you can't get out of it by trying to claim that the market is all types of fuel. Now suppose you have an iPhone and want to download an app, or want to distribute your app to customers many of which have an iPhone. What substitute for Apple's store is available to do that?
- ascorbic 2mo agoEU law doesn't actually require a monopoly for competition rules to apply, it's a "dominant position". Apple certainly meets that definition for smartphone platforms. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/glossary/competition.html https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/glossary/competit...
- petcat 2mo agoGeez even the EU's own government websites are polluted with cookie banners. Apparently they can't resist tracking their visitors either.
- coldpie 2mo agoInstall uBlock Origin and enable the Cookie Notices and Annoyances lists in the Filter Lists settings.
- mike_hearn 2mo agoApple isn't "dominant" in any geography and in the EU specifically Android has much greater market share.
- twoodfin 2mo agoSure, but ApolloFortyNine described Apple’s behavior as “slam dunk monopoly abuse”. A monopoly is not a dominant position, it’s an overwhelmingly dominant one.
- earthnail 2mo agoIf you want to distribute mobile apps and reach all users - something that is required for any kind or collaborative app - you MUST support iPhone in the western world. In fact, it’s often iPhone first, Android second. And on the iPhone, you MUST use the Apple App Store, not just as a means to distribute your app, but as your payment provider. You can’t collect payment details yourself, use Stripe, Paddle, anything. You MUST use Apple. You simply cannot enter business without paying Apple a share. That’s a monopoly.