A new report by the United Kingdom’s competition watchdog has made some startling findings that it’s now sharing with the public.
The final report went into comprehensive detail about the current mobile ecosystem, which raised major concerns about the growing market influence of two leading tech companies.
We’re talking about Apple and Google and how these platforms need regulatory intervention because they feel the duo is involved in the duopoly of the tech market.
A previous report released at the end of last year outlined some major concerns and even put forward solutions to combat some issues that it felt were creating a lock-in. The remedies were aimed at allowing customers to switch while decreasing all the different types of barriers and obstacles that app developers faced.
The CMA report is nearly 356 pages long and it identified the great concerns of competition that arise from both Google and Apple and how their operations and dominance in the tech ecosystem are definitely a problem worth highlighting.
Other than the usual powerful influence of the iOS and Android, some other specific topics that had been discussed were related to the much hyped-up app transparency functionality that’s come into play by Apple and Google’s new Project Hug which is a revenue-sharing contract.
We also saw the benefits of web page development be delineated in the report and an interview with the creator of Wordle also makes its way into the report.
All of the conclusions drawn had been aligned and presented inside a press release which struck a chord with so many about how Google and Apple are in charge of today’s vast mobile ecosystem. Therefore, these companies are not allowing other new and upcoming competitors to come forward and strike a chance.
It appears that the report is giving us all a clear hint to how the UK’s regulatory watchdog is willing to take action. But it could well take a few years before the giant body is capable of intervening and making the necessary changes.
We also saw the CMA asking for a probe proposal with two main points in focus. The first has to do with the power that both the tech giants hold in terms of mobile browsers. Secondly, it was related to Apple putting limitations on its iCloud gaming via its App Store.
As far as the mobile browsing point is concerned, the CMA has expressed concern about Apple banning others from competing due to its dominant Apple Safari browser. And that further restricts a number of web apps from functioning through its platform. As you can expect, that would limit competition with numerous native apps too, which the company is making money through a fee on its App Store.
Similarly, the CMA also highlights how unfair it is to see either Chrome or Safari be set as default browsing options, providing a clear edge over the numerous other archrival browsers.
Meanwhile, it's quite clear that gaming is one great way that Apple makes money. Hence, the CMA would like to see the company unblock its cloud gaming at the app store because it’s just putting an end to growth in this valuable sector.
The regulator also hopes to take due action against Google’s payment protocols on its app stores, adding how it had evidence of foul play and anti-competitive maneuvers.
This will include an investigation into how Google governs its apps and what conditions have been set for payments of digital goods and services.
In case you’re still wondering where all of this news is coming from, it has to do with a great many complaints coming to the CMA by mobile developers. They continue to complain to them about these competition concerns.
In addition to that, it’s feeling the pressure from the UK government to act strongly against digital market players, which makes sense as to why we're presented with such a detailed report, to begin with.
Read next: Apple’s CEO Tim Cook Reveals Why Privacy And Its Related Issues Matter So Much To Him
The final report went into comprehensive detail about the current mobile ecosystem, which raised major concerns about the growing market influence of two leading tech companies.
We’re talking about Apple and Google and how these platforms need regulatory intervention because they feel the duo is involved in the duopoly of the tech market.
A previous report released at the end of last year outlined some major concerns and even put forward solutions to combat some issues that it felt were creating a lock-in. The remedies were aimed at allowing customers to switch while decreasing all the different types of barriers and obstacles that app developers faced.
The CMA report is nearly 356 pages long and it identified the great concerns of competition that arise from both Google and Apple and how their operations and dominance in the tech ecosystem are definitely a problem worth highlighting.
Other than the usual powerful influence of the iOS and Android, some other specific topics that had been discussed were related to the much hyped-up app transparency functionality that’s come into play by Apple and Google’s new Project Hug which is a revenue-sharing contract.
We also saw the benefits of web page development be delineated in the report and an interview with the creator of Wordle also makes its way into the report.
All of the conclusions drawn had been aligned and presented inside a press release which struck a chord with so many about how Google and Apple are in charge of today’s vast mobile ecosystem. Therefore, these companies are not allowing other new and upcoming competitors to come forward and strike a chance.
It appears that the report is giving us all a clear hint to how the UK’s regulatory watchdog is willing to take action. But it could well take a few years before the giant body is capable of intervening and making the necessary changes.
We also saw the CMA asking for a probe proposal with two main points in focus. The first has to do with the power that both the tech giants hold in terms of mobile browsers. Secondly, it was related to Apple putting limitations on its iCloud gaming via its App Store.
As far as the mobile browsing point is concerned, the CMA has expressed concern about Apple banning others from competing due to its dominant Apple Safari browser. And that further restricts a number of web apps from functioning through its platform. As you can expect, that would limit competition with numerous native apps too, which the company is making money through a fee on its App Store.
Similarly, the CMA also highlights how unfair it is to see either Chrome or Safari be set as default browsing options, providing a clear edge over the numerous other archrival browsers.
Meanwhile, it's quite clear that gaming is one great way that Apple makes money. Hence, the CMA would like to see the company unblock its cloud gaming at the app store because it’s just putting an end to growth in this valuable sector.
The regulator also hopes to take due action against Google’s payment protocols on its app stores, adding how it had evidence of foul play and anti-competitive maneuvers.
This will include an investigation into how Google governs its apps and what conditions have been set for payments of digital goods and services.
In case you’re still wondering where all of this news is coming from, it has to do with a great many complaints coming to the CMA by mobile developers. They continue to complain to them about these competition concerns.
In addition to that, it’s feeling the pressure from the UK government to act strongly against digital market players, which makes sense as to why we're presented with such a detailed report, to begin with.
Read next: Apple’s CEO Tim Cook Reveals Why Privacy And Its Related Issues Matter So Much To Him
