UK competition watchdog wins appeal – investigation into Apple will go on

The UK Court of Appeal has upheld the Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA's) decision to launch a probe into mobile browsers and cloud gaming, quashing an appeal by Apple to kill the process. The judgment overturns the Competition Appeal Tribunal's (CAT's) March 2023 decision, which upheld an appeal by Apple and put the …

[elsergiovolador]

Weak

Why CMA is not looking at ability to load alternative app stores on iPhones?

Or that Apple charges developers excessive amount of "tax"?

CMA is like a little annoying dog that bites Apple's ankle.

What is the point of that organisation again if it can't achieve anything meaningful?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Weak

Don't know what your message is about, what are you trying to say?

[Throatwarbler Mangrove]

Re: Weak

He's mad because the CMA isn't giving him a free puppy.

[elsergiovolador]

Re: Weak

That CMA should be dissolved. They are useless.

[Dinanziame]

The CMA had previously opted not to open an investigation during a market study, so it does not have the power to do so now.

Well that was a stupid argument. Markets change, the situation evolves. The fact that something used to be fine doesn't mean it's fine now, particularly in matters of anti trust.

[Lurko]

Well you can read the full judgement of the Competition Appeal Tribunal, and that of the Court of Appeal judgement you'll find both incisive, detailed and based on facts and law - the fact that they came to different conclusions seems largely due to dubious drafting of the legislation of the Enterprise Act 2002.

[Anonymous Coward]

If I buy a Tesla, I don’t expect to be able to install software from BMW, or use wheels from Maserati.

The iPhone and Galaxy, for example, are distinct products, they shouldn’t be required to allow pick and mix on them. Another manufacturer could provide such facility for those who want to tinker…probably no more than 1%, even 0.1%

I guess regulators need to keep thinking of things to regulate in order to continue their cushy careers…

[Sandtitz]

"If I buy a Tesla, I don’t expect to be able to install software from BMW, or use wheels from Maserati"

Your analogy isn't hitting the mark at all. Tesla doesn't have an app store (as of yet), iPhone has.

This is not about replacing the operating system in Apple products, but what is allowed in the app store.

All the web browsers on iOS are just skins on Apple's inferior WebKit browser engine. Originally - and probably still to some degree - Apple just wanted to deny browser-based games and such by committing to a subset of HTML5 features - to push users into App Store. Having fewer features results in fewer vulnerabilities at the cost of weaker usability but I, for one, would like better browsers than what Safari or Firefox Focus can offer in my iPhone.

Apple has some valid reasons for mandating use of their own frameworks.

Parents need parental control over kids' internet browsing and if Apple's parental control won't work with 3rd party browsers, well, there's a problem.

I think Apple is also requiring software developers to use the built-in crypto provided by iOS which is probably better than having every app having vulnerable openssl libraries. Then again... Google, Microsoft and other big players are at least as adept in providing security updates / features.

[Aaaaaaaaaa]

That analogy doesn't work because theres lots of competition in the car space, don't like tesla? buy a bmw.

Now imagine Tesla and BMW are the only car manufacturers and they both have app store critical to using it. For example image that you can only listen to music purchased from tesla and no other type of music provider is allowed (to stop them from competing with tesla own store). Now if you want to switch to bmw you can't without losing 100s of £ because you can only use tesla stuff and nothing else. Now you're locked in

[Anonymous Coward]

The iPhone isn’t a car though is it it’s a computer with a phone attached and wireless data connectivity. If I buy a computer I don’t expect to be stuck with limits on where I can get my software from. Imagine if you bought a Dell and (other than the operating system) could only install software from Dell.

If I buy a car I expect to be able to go to different places to get my wheels or seats not be stuck buying from one store even if there are different brands at that store. I’d also like to have something other than a skinned version of Safari.