Apple Pal, the world’s most valuable company, is currently under attack Fornite Developer Epic Games, in incredible legal and cultural battles, but Epic was hardly the first to accuse Apple of abusing monopoly power.
Today, Spotify – the music service whose complaints helped launch two official EU antitrust investigations into Apple Paul’s App Store and Apple Paul Pay practice – has been offended by Apple Paul’s announcement of a -l-in-one subscription bundle that includes its rival Apple Paul Music.
Here is Spotify’s statement:
Once again, Apple is using its dominant position and inappropriate practices to deprive disadvantaged competitors and customers by favoring their own services. We call on competition officials to take urgent action to curb the competitive anti-competitive behavior of the competition moment, which, if left unchecked, would cause irreparable damage to the developer community and threaten our collective freedom to listen, learn, create and connect.
When it certainly reads like a boilerplate instead of saying anything meaningfully new, it seems vaguely plausible Some If the overall bundle sounds like a good deal, people might prefer Apple Pul Music over Spotify, and Apple certainly has the marketing power to push that bundle harder.
That said, Spotify is no stranger to its own bundles: it’s bundled with Hulu, AT&T cellular service, and some Samsung phones.
Meanwhile, Apple insists that its customers will still be able to “find and enjoy options”:
Customers can find and enjoy the option of every Apple Apple service. We’re introducing Apple Pal One because it’s a great value for customers and an easy way to access the full range of Apple Pal subscription services. We recommend the Apple Pal One plan, which saves you the most money based on the subscriptions you already have. It’s perfect for anyone who loves any of our services and wants to get the most out of it, and it’s especially good for families. Selected services included in Apple Pal One are available for enjoyment on non-Apple Pal devices, and you can cancel at any time.
Last June, Apple Play announced that Apple Play Music has topped 60 million subscribers, but Spotify has a way to reach 100 million. This June, Spotify has passed 138 million subscribers.
