At previous article I stated my position that the discussion about free or proprietary software is anachronistic. That today large technology companies could easily release the code and even give away their products since its business model is based on controlling access to its service platforms.
Against Apple and Google. These are the complaints
In this post I will tell some of the complaints small tech companies filed against Apple and Google
Earlier this year, some small businesses testified before a committee of the US House of Representatives about their experiences doing business with the tech bigs.
All the testimonies agreed to demonstrate how big tech companies used their dominant position to paralyze potential competitors for their new products and take customers away from existing ones.
Basecamp is a company that develops productivity software. He recently developed an email service at a cost of $ 99 per year. The service has applications for all its platforms including iOS.
When the company wanted to publish an updated version of his client in the Apple store, this was rejected because he does not use the Apple payment platform. For each payment using its platform, Apple takes 30%
From the Manzanita company they argue that they only allow externally registered apps for business services, not consumer products. In other words, this type of applications must include the option to register using their payment service.
Who also complained to the North American representatives was Tile, a manufacturer of stamp-sized Bluetooth trackers that helps customers find their keys, wallets, or phones. apple tIt has its own phone finding application called Find My Iphone which is installed by default. Interestingly, dfter the update to iOS 13, the settings for voluntarily installed third-party apps like Tile became harder to find.
apple ppromised to fix this in future updates allowing automatic configuration.
Heinemeier Hansson from Basecamp does not hesitate to call developers hostage when they speak publicly of Apple's policies.
You listen to some of these app developers, and they talk like hostages. They sound like they're reading a prepared statement, because otherwise Apple could hurt their business. Which is true!
Basecamp shared on Twitter how difficult it was to pass Apple app store reviews, and, Although privately many developers sympathized, in public they defended the policies of Steve Jobs' firm.
Patent infringement
sound, a wireless speaker manufacturer sued Google for patent infringement. This includes technologies that allow smart speakers to connect and sync.
Google and Sonos had a history of collaboration, but they dide believe in Sonos, the former took advantage of it to "blatantly and consciously copy our proprietary technology in the creation of its audio products."
Sonos speakers (predating Google's Nest line) work with the company's digital assistants and Amazon's. But, Google's are cheaper, and why don't you guess which ones appear first in the search engine when you're looking for wireless speakers?
The license agreement to use his assistant required Sonos to name and design future products six months in advance.
In the european union
It's not just small businesses who complain about Apple, so do other more important ones.
The European Union An investigation is open for monopolistic behavior in the app store and its payment services. Among those harmed is none other than Spotify
A spokesperson for the firm told the US press that
Apple's anti-competitive behavior has intentionally put competitors at a disadvantage by creating an uneven playing field, and depriving consumers of choice for too long.
Nor is the online bookstore Kobo too happy with the company on the block. For them it is anti-competitive for Apple to operate its own bookstore and take 30% of every sale Kobe makes
The Apple App Store last year it billed more than 500 million for the sale of services not related to downloading applications. This includes buying rides on Uber or selling air tickets or physical products such as books and electronics. So far those of Cupertino are satisfied with a 15% commission. But critics point out that its business model is placing increasing weight on services. And this could lead to higher percentages as marketers become more and more dependent on your platform.
In the next article we will talk about more complaints against Google and those that exist against Amazon.