On March 4, the European Union fined Apple 1.8 billion euros (about 14 billion yuan) for abusing App Store rules.
Apple responds: Spotify has never paid anything to Apple, and the EU's decision is ironic.
According to EU regulators, Apple has unlawfully prevented app developers from providing users with information about alternative and cheaper** subscription services outside of its app stores. In response, Apple insisted that it would appeal the EU's decision to impose fines, arguing that EU regulators failed to provide credible evidence of harm to consumer interests, while ignoring the current boom in competitive markets.
However, the biggest beneficiary of this decision is undoubtedly Spotify. Because they don't have to pay anything to Apple when they sell subscription services on their own **.
In response, Apple sarcastically responded in a statement on its official website: "Spotify has never paid anything to Apple, and the EU's decision is really ironic." ”
Apple further noted that Spotify was the main driver and biggest beneficiary of this decision. Spotify, the world's largest streaming app, met with the European Commission at least 65 times during the survey.
Currently, Spotify's share of the European streaming market is as high as 56%, more than twice that of its closest competitors.
Although they have never paid anything to get Apple's services, they see the App Store and the various tools and technologies associated with it as the key to building, updating, and sharing their apps with Apple users around the world. Such a success, they even call it "irony", which is undoubtedly a deep irony of Apple.