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Comment by mirzap | Hacker News Reader

The EU is too soft with Apple. Apple has consistently shown harmful intentions towards users, and it needs to change. They have had numerous opportunities to change but have refused to do so. I'm a big fan of Apple products, but I cannot accept the fact that I cannot install apps on my device from any source I want. Even if I develop my own app, I cannot install it on my iPhone. Why is the iPhone different from the Mac? It should be just as easy to install an app on the iPhone, simply download it and you're done, or drag and drop it from the desktop.

I hope the EU sets a precedent once and for all with a maximum fine (10% of global revenue).

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To be fair, if you develop the app yourself you can install it on your iPhone without any problem, you connect your phone and install it through Xcode.

True, but you have to rebuild the app every six or seven days, because it stops working. Unless you shell out for the paid developer account I think. Then your apps won't expire.

My guess is that Apple thinks this route could be used to circumvent the App Store.

> Then your apps won't expire.

Correction: then your apps will last a year before they expire. You'll still need to reinstall yearly.

That still requires a MacBook. It makes it almost impossible for open source developers to make applications for IOS

Open source != owning a mac

I agree that the hardware requirement is bullshit and mostly unnecessary.

Xcode only works on a Mac, and to do it you need to be registered in the Apple developer program.

So if you want to develop an app for iPhone you can do it no problem, as long as you buy another apple device to code it on, pay Apple the subscription fee to join the developer program, and then you can install it on your Apple phone.

I share the same exact sentiment.

I hope they get hit hard.

I hope that Apple pulls out of the EU. They're less than 10% of their global revenue. If the fines are higher than their profits why on earth would they stay?

Where are you getting 10%. It is close to 25% for fy23.

"10% of global revenue" - What does EU have to do with GLOBAL revenue? Where is the logic in that.

Why does the USA have extrajudicial power, why does China force technological transfers to access its market?

In international laws there is no logic, it’s only about being strong enough to enforce your rules.

1. The logic in that is to prevent Apple from trying any shenenigans where "technically" Apple Europe has 10€ revenue and can continue to dodge regulations. It's simply recognizing that megacorps exist and will absolutely try to play the system. Sure, you could be develop a more complex method but why? Fines are meant as a determent and should hurt.

2. The fines would of course be enforced against the European Entity.

3. If they stick to the regulation there is no need to pay any fines. Taxes are not calculated this way.

4. There is an implicit "up to" whenever EU fines are stated.

The logic is obvious, that is what it takes for these kind of companies to feel the fine. 20 million dollars is nothing to them.

This is easy to see if you want to. It's been discussed over and over. "I don't understand this thing that I refuse to understand!" is a really useless comment.

Still makes 0 sense. 20% of global revenue is much much more than 20mils. apple had 380 billion in revenue last year. so you want to fine them 76 billion? also, "its nothing to them" is not an argument.

They have the opportunity to stop breaking the law. If they don't choose to do that, they face punitive damages. It has never been unusual for punitive damages to exceed the proceeds gained from breaking the law. That's why they're called punitive.

This isn't a situation where they do something unknowingly and then face some major consequences. This is a situation where they break the law, they're told to stop, they don't stop, they're told to stop again, they still don't stop. After that, rinse and repeat a few more times. 20% of global revenue sounds perfectly fair for this kind of stupidity.

> so you want to fine them 76 billion?"

No, what the EU wants is for Apple to comply with the regulations.

Nobody would have to be fined anything if Apple simply stopped playing these silly games, and followed the law.

It is very easy for these companies to shift money around their books to look like none of it came from a certain country.

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