IOS

Spotify gives a layer against the App Store commission

Spotify continues to raise concerns about Apple’s 30% commission on App Store apps, alleging it harms competition and consumer choice. In a new press release, the company believes that these practices favor Apple’s financial interests and hinder a level playing field.

Despite some progress in Europe, Spotify says global regulatory intervention remains insufficient, allowing Apple to maintain a monopolistic hold on the App Store. This “capture” would in turn lead to increased costs for consumers and stifle innovation in development projects.

Spotify also highlights the negative impact of Apple’s restrictions on user experience and innovation, citing complex processes for audiobooks and the inability to notify customers about price upgrades for Premium or Premium subscriptions. to introduce new features without explicit permission from Apple.

The company finally notes the inconsistency of Apple’s policies, according to which Apple Music is exempt from the 30% commission, which puts third-party developers and their customers at a disadvantage.

It should be noted that despite the fact that Spotify is no longer subject to Apple’s 30% commission, since the fees are reduced to 15% after the first year of subscription, the ongoing battle between the two companies has persisted for years : in Europe, Spotify filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in 2019.

Related Topics:app Commission layer Spotify store

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Apple explains why only USB-C AirPods Pro support lossless audio with Vision Pro

Apple is today marketing a revision of the AirPods Pro which has the particularity of having a USB-C port on the charging case. But that’s not the only change: the headphones also support lossless audio with the Apple Vision Pro headset.

Why can’t the second generation AirPods Pro with the Lightning Charging Case also support lossless audio with the Vision Pro? Brian Tong did an interview with two Apple executives to get the answer. Ron Huang, Apple’s vice president of sensors and connectivity, gives the answer.

Ron Huang says the H2 chip in AirPods Pro with the USB-C port supports the 5GHz wireless frequency band for ultra-low latency and less interference, while the H2 chip in AirPods Pro with the Lightning port is limited to the 2.4 GHz band. Apple says it’s this support for the 5GHz band that allows the updated AirPods Pro to support lossless audio with the Vision Pro.

The Apple Vision Pro headset will be available in early 2024, first in the United States. The price will be $3,499. Apple has already planned marketing in other countries, but this will happen later at a price that is currently unknown in euros.

IOS

Supermodels: the documentary on the star models of the 80s and 90s is available on Apple TV+

The docuseries The Supermodels is available in its entirety (i.e. 4 episodes) on the subscription platform Apple TV+. As the title indicates, this documentary directed by Barbara Kopple focuses on the rise of what we called in the 80s and 90s the “supermodels”, that is to say star models to whom nothing seemed resist, women often adored as film actresses. Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and a few others were truly fashion icons of that era, a golden period that the Apple TV+ series retraces in 4 major chapters, The Look, The Celebrity, The Power and The Legacy.

The docuseries The Supermodels will also offer its large batch of sequences and unpublished documents, as well as of course interviews with the main interested parties. It will not only be about the glorious past since the series will also look at the current activities of these ex-fashion stars, “their activism, philanthropy and business prowess”. And of course, US production obliges, a documentary on famous women could not miss the mark of “empowerment”: “As the fashion industry continues to redefine itself, this is the ultimate story of power and how four women came together to reclaim it, paving the way for those who would follow.” » An entire program…

IOS

It would (already) be a hit for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and a small disappointment for the iPhone 15 Pro

After just a few days of pre-orders, the lively Ming Chi Kuo can already give the main trends in iPhone sales for the current and coming quarter. For the analyst, there are no doubts: the new iPhone 15/15 Pro range is a huge success, and Apple should distribute 80 million copies until the end of the year compared to 76 million for the iPhone 14/14 Pro range. Surprisingly, the 15 Pro Max model is popular with buyers, and Kuo estimates that Apple will sell 35 million of this model (Q3 and Q4), or 7 million more 15 Pro Max compared to sales of the 14 Pro. Max over the same period.

On the other hand, sales would be a little below expectations for the two most “standard” models, namely the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Pro. Kuo does not give figures, but specifies that without a drop in prices (via occasional promotions for example), the volume of these sales should not change much in a few months. The surprise is undoubtedly on the side of the iPhone 15 Plus, which would sell beyond the stock capacities initially planned by Apple. The factories will have to operate more vigorously…