EU slaps Apple with €500 million fine

Apple’s been hit with a €500 million fine — the price of malicious compliance, perhaps.

Is this about protecting App Store revenue and avoiding shareholder panic? Or is it just classic anti-competitive behaviour? Likely both. Either way, it’s an expensive strategy, and the costs are mounting.

It’s not just the EU. Investigations are underway in the UK, Australia and Canada. The global tide is turning.

Maybe Apple’s afraid of real competition. Afraid that better experiences exist, and users might actually switch. So, they lock it all down. The App Store offers the illusion of choice — but it’s Apple’s way or a degraded UX.

🍏 I want:

• A proper alternative to iCloud, with real integration
• Siri to stop asking me to unlock my phone to use Deezer, for god’s sake
• Ownership of my hardware to mean actual choice

I could live with their ecosystem — if it wasn’t overpriced and underwhelming. But other options deserve the same chance to compete.