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Apple announces App Store changes in the EU

(9to5mac.com)
78 points saubeidl | 7 comments | 26 Jun 25 19:54 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source | bottom
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fxtentacle ◴[26 Jun 25 20:31 UTC] No.44391021[source]▶
"The European Commission is requiring Apple to make a series of additional changes to the App Store. We disagree with this outcome and plan to appeal."

Reading that made me very happy. It clearly shows that EU bureaucrats - despite their bad reputation - still have teeth when it comes to reigning in overly greedy US companies. Back in '98, the EU versions of Windows were very desirable, as they were free of bloatware. Soon, history might repeat with US consumers pretending to be in the EU to free their hardware.

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1. kshacker ◴[26 Jun 25 20:44 UTC] No.44391155[source]▶
I guess it is a battle between EU bureaucrats vs American Daddies :)

// I know it is tongue in cheek, but that is what this may end up being, especially if Apple is able to move non-trivial amounts of manufacturing to US.

What is non-trivial? IMO if China, India and USA become 3 tiers with each tier being half of the previous tier, that would somehow be justifiable as "hey we are almost there, we can do it any time, but let's have the hatchet ready but keep the cheap devices for now"

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2. saubeidl ◴[26 Jun 25 20:48 UTC] No.44391194[source]▶
I will take to the streets and start rioting if necessary, should EU leadership bend to US pressure on this.

It is our sovereign right to make laws that determine the rules of our society. Americans can either abide by them or get out of our market.

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3. hatradiowigwam ◴[26 Jun 25 20:58 UTC] No.44391287[source]▶
Us Americans have approximately zero to do with your rules or society. The idea of thinking Apple (or Microsoft, or Google) represents "Americans" is absurd. We don't vote for them to exist, we have no mechanism to stop their existence or oppose them in any way. We're as happy about EU forcing them to change as anyone else - our own attempts all failed. Jail break providers(for instance) were persecuted with legal process, gag orders, and seizure of their assets. Repairing iPhones as a side business? They put a stop to us doing that also.

I'm all in agreement with your emotional sentiment, but please understand "Americans" do /not/ like the same things you do not like. Our country just takes away our ability to do anything about it. Land of the free and whatnot...

edit: typo

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4. saubeidl ◴[26 Jun 25 21:00 UTC] No.44391313{3}[source]▶
Let me clarify: I don't mean individual American persons. I mean the American oligarchy and the political machine it controls.

Individual Americans are often great people - some of which I am proud to call my friends.

5. foolswisdom ◴[26 Jun 25 21:02 UTC] No.44391325{3}[source]▶
> Americans can either abide by them or get out of our market.

I think GP was talking about Americans running companies.

6. ◴[26 Jun 25 22:16 UTC] No.44392030{3}[source]▶
7. bigyabai ◴[26 Jun 25 23:48 UTC] No.44392580[source]▶
Except you can't do it at any time. America tried this logic with the motor vehicle (and offshored it), then the semiconductor (and offshored it), and now we're seeing it for pretty much every other manufactured commodity America is known for. What do we make, anymore?

There's a simple explanation for why this happened: America really believes in free market competition. Even when we're getting reamed by global competitors in cost and quality, someone always presupposes that this manufacturing capacity can come back. But that's not how it works; products are worth what people will pay for them, and if the trade value goes down then the gross domestic product will follow.

It's a blatant vulnerability of democratic capitalism. I'd like for you to be right, but I live in America. I don't know if anything on my desk was made in America; I don't even know if my desk itself was made domestically anymore. America isn't a rung on the manufacturing ladder, you could remove us entirely and only stand to increase your margins.