Telling the ACCC that users of iOS can go to a website to purchase and consume digital content or services, in its argument centred on discrediting the belief that Apple has market power.
Apple has responded further to the Australian consumer watchdog’s probe of app marketplaces, this time rejecting characterisation that the Apple App Store is the most dominant app marketplace and saying there are other options for iOS users, such as by going to a website. « Apple perceives and treats other distributors of apps, for platforms other than iOS, as significant competitors whose pricing and policies constrain Apple’s ability to exercise power over developers, » the iPhone maker said in a submission [PDF] to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) « Apple is not in a position to disregard the environment in which its app marketplace operates and does not accept the Commission’s characterisation of the Apple App Store as ‘the most dominant app marketplace by a large margin’. » The app store practices of Apple and Google are under the microscope by the ACCC as part of its digital platforms probe. The ACCC is concerned with the market power held by both tech giants in the app marketplace space. In its submission, Apple argues that the ACCC’s position is based incorrectly on the assumption that there is a relevant market failure arising from Apple’s purported market power.
