Open Markets Institute

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Wired - Apple Isn’t Ready to Release Its Grip on the App Store

OMI Europe director Max von Thun quoted, commenting on how new European regulations aimed at forcing Apple to release its stranglehold over its App Store have only led Apple to issue new fees that reinforce its control.

Politicians in Brussels have for years debated how best to loosen Big Tech companies’ grip over their closely guarded marketplaces. But it was only this week that Apple announced sweeping and drastic changes for its European users. For the first time, new EU rules have forced the company to entertain the idea that you can shop for apps outside of Apple’s own App Store, as well as allow browsers other than Apple’s own Safari to run on iOS with their full suite of features.

Yet critics say those changes, although drastic, do not go far enough to comply with new EU rules, and a new fee system for developers reveals how Apple is not yet ready to release its grip on the App Store.

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