Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Senator Elizabeth Warren Accuses Apple of Trying to 'Snuff Out Competition,' Spotify Agrees
Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren today gave a speech where she accused Amazon, Apple, and Google of attempting to "snuff out competition" by locking out smaller companies, reports Recode.
To account for Apple's cut, Spotify charges $12.99 to customers who purchase a subscription through an Apple device, which is $3 higher than the $9.99 price tag of Apple Music.
While Apple declined to comment on Warren's statements, Spotify's head of communications and public policy Jonathan Prince took the opportunity to lambaste Apple in a statement given to Recode.
Recently, Spotify criticized some upcoming App Store changes like a new revenue split for subscriptions and ads in search results, saying Apple's efforts don't "get to the core of the problem" and criticizing Apple's insistence on "inserting itself between developers and their customers."
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
"Google, Apple and Amazon have created disruptive technologies that changed the world, and ... they deserve to be highly profitable and successful," Warren said. "But the opportunity to compete must remain open for new entrants and smaller competitors that want their chance to change the world again."In regard to Apple specifically, Warren said the company has made it difficult for its rivals to offer competitive streaming services able to compete with Apple Music, presumably through the cut that it takes from streaming services like Spotify when people sign up through the iOS app.
To account for Apple's cut, Spotify charges $12.99 to customers who purchase a subscription through an Apple device, which is $3 higher than the $9.99 price tag of Apple Music.
While Apple declined to comment on Warren's statements, Spotify's head of communications and public policy Jonathan Prince took the opportunity to lambaste Apple in a statement given to Recode.
"Apple has long used its control of iOS to squash competition in music, driving up the prices of its competitors, inappropriately forbidding us from telling our customers about lower prices, and giving itself unfair advantages across its platform through everything from the lock screen to Siri. You know there's something wrong when Apple makes more off a Spotify subscription than it does off an Apple Music subscription and doesn't share any of that with the music industry. They want to have their cake and eat everyone else's too."Spotify has long been unhappy with Apple's pricing policy. In the past, Spotify fought against Apple's cut by sending emails to its customers who had signed up for a $12.99 per month subscription on an iPhone or iPad, encouraging them to cancel their subscriptions and re-subscribe via the web.
Recently, Spotify criticized some upcoming App Store changes like a new revenue split for subscriptions and ads in search results, saying Apple's efforts don't "get to the core of the problem" and criticizing Apple's insistence on "inserting itself between developers and their customers."
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Tags: Spotify, Apple Music Guide
[ 460 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
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39 months ago
What an idiot! Another case of a dumb politician sticking their nose into something they are clueless about!
39 months ago
I don't get spotifys point. Apple made it all possible. Spotify is not forced, to offer their service on iOS. They also want to use apples infrastructure, technology and services, but not pay for it? If they can't take the financial hit and offer it for 10$ on iOS, then maybe their business model is t the best.
What apple is doing, is driving the price for the consumer down. I've never heard anyone sane complain about that!
What apple is doing, is driving the price for the consumer down. I've never heard anyone sane complain about that!
39 months ago
I really hate Elizabeth Warren - champagne socialist, enriched off getting students into crippling debt, hilarious claim of ethnic heritage in order to gain advantage, claim of expert knowledge outside of her narrow expertise, sold out on auditing the Fed, supports a blood-soaked crook for President... but yeah, I'd agree on this. Apple is less Steve Jobs, more Smaug.
39 months ago
The credibility of Warren has gone down hill considerably since she began to promote Hillary Clinton. She's supposed to be a watch-dog for the little guy, but supports the candidate with what has to be the largest political slush fund in history? We can't have real consumer protection in a system this corrupt, so why is Warren supporting it?
39 months ago
Lol. Says the Senator who took $40k from Google. ('https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=2016&cid=N00033492&type=I&newmem=N')
39 months ago
Another clueless ivory tower politician.
Maybe she should have taken some business classes in college where she applied as a Native American during the application process.
Maybe she should have taken some business classes in college where she applied as a Native American during the application process.
39 months ago
Damn, too late already.
Of course the Apple defense force is not MIA just minutes after the article is online.
Now, I'm not much slower, the resident shitposter, right? Right!
However, to get to the point: I don't think Apple is in the right.
It's one thing to take the cut, but to forbid the service to notify customers of cheaper options that are available elsewhere...
And yes, to hinder competitors by locking down APIs...
Especially the latter is EXACTLY what we had been complaining about in the late 90s when Apple was the one liberating us from Microsoft and all evil IBM before in the 80s.
Hello? Anyone home?
Glassed Silver:mac
Of course the Apple defense force is not MIA just minutes after the article is online.
Now, I'm not much slower, the resident shitposter, right? Right!
However, to get to the point: I don't think Apple is in the right.
It's one thing to take the cut, but to forbid the service to notify customers of cheaper options that are available elsewhere...
And yes, to hinder competitors by locking down APIs...
Especially the latter is EXACTLY what we had been complaining about in the late 90s when Apple was the one liberating us from Microsoft and all evil IBM before in the 80s.
Hello? Anyone home?
Glassed Silver:mac
39 months ago
Good god I wish politicians would shut up. And people don't have to sign up for Spotify through the app. Every iOS device comes with a web browser fully capable of going to Spotify.com.
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