Facing EU deadline, Apple announces App Store changes
Apple announced changes to its App Store payment rules in Europe as it hit a Thursday deadline to address accusations of breaking EU digital competition rules -- or face steep new daily fines.
The European Commission in April slapped Apple with a fine of 500 million euros ($586 million) after concluding it prevented developers from steering customers outside its App Store to access cheaper deals in violation of the bloc's rules.
The EU warned Apple it had 60 days -- until Thursday -- to make changes to comply with the rules or face additional "periodic penalty payments", which it believed could be more than 50 million euros daily.
Apple has changed the rules on the App Store effective Thursday, allowing developers to offer different payment options directly to consumers within their apps, arguing that the changes address the EU's concerns.
Apple has paid the 500-million-euro fine but still plans to appeal the penalty on July 7 -- and it hit out on Thursday at the extent of the changes sought by Brussels.
"The European Commission is requiring Apple to make a series of additional changes to the App Store. We disagree with this outcome and plan to appeal," Apple said.
EU spokesman Thomas Regnier said the commission took note of Apple's announcement "and will now assess these new business terms" to see if they are compliant with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA).
"As part of this assessment the commission considers it particularly important to obtain the views of market operators and interested third parties before deciding on next steps," Regnier added.
Apple has frequently hit out at the DMA antitrust rules, complaining it has no choice but to make the changes under threat of large fines.
The EU reinforced its legal weaponry in recent years with major twin laws, the Digital Services Act and the DMA, which have provoked the ire of President Donald Trump.
The U.S. leader has slammed the EU's digital laws and taxes as "non-tariff barriers" to trade and many tech CEOs have aligned with his administration.
The EU and the United States are currently locked in negotiations to avoid Trump's sweeping tariffs on European goods but Brussels has insisted that the digital rules are a red line for the 27-country bloc.
© 2025 AFP
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Yomiuri Shimbun
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- Yomiuri Shimbun
There Is a High Price to Pay for Mistreating Allies
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The situation may not be as serious yet in the Indo-Pacific. In their summit in February, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump reaffirmed that the Japan-U.S. alliance 'remains the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.' They stressed 'the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait' and reiterated their strong opposition to Beijing's unlawful maritime claims, militarization of reclaimed land and threatening and provocative activities in the South China Sea. In May, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the Indo-Pacific 'our priority theater' when touching on the Trump administration's strategy for the region in his speech during the Asia Security Summit in Singapore. He warned that 'any attempt' by China to reunify with Taiwan through force 'would result in devastating consequences.' He emphasized that the United States would strengthen alliances and multilateral partnerships 'to deter Chinese aggression.' 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At the heart of globalization has been the principle of the free movement of capital and goods across borders. The Pax Americana is fraying, however, due to Russia's aggression against Ukraine, China's attempts to change the status quo and Trump's disregard for U.S. allies. The American people are divided over how far they should go to maintain the Pax Americana. The same can be said about the trade system, which has been roiled by Trump's reciprocal tariffs — a violation of World Trade Organization agreements. Considering that global imbalances have basically stemmed from China's overinvestment and overproduction and the United States' overconsumption, the global currency regime and financial system may face further turmoil, depending on what gets passed in a bill centered on large-scale tax cuts that is currently being debated in the U.S. Congress. So, what should be done? Japan is not a superpower; it accounted for only 3.7% of the global economy in 2024. Nevertheless, it does occupy a strategic position both geopolitically and geoeconomically. And one of Japan's strengths is that it is trusted internationally at a time when the United States and China are both busy destroying their credibility. The important thing for Japan is to increase its strategic autonomy and indispensability, while contributing to global and regional peace, stability and prosperity, with international trust as the key guiding principle. In connection with this, let me touch on three points. First, Japan should help itself before it can expect help from other countries. Japan should reinforce its defenses as needed, and not fixate on the government's target of spending 2% of GDP on defense. While Japan's own security and the Japan-U.S. alliance, which is a cornerstone of the security of the Indo-Pacific region, should be maintained as a touchstone, Japan should seek to strengthen partnerships with like-minded countries and its quasi-allies — Australia, the Philippines and the United Kingdom. Second, since Russia invaded Ukraine, the terms national security and economic security have become virtually synonymous. The concept of 'manufacturing' has to be reinvented. What is needed now is 'new manufacturing,' which promotes AI- and data-driven innovation that is integrated with services, as the foundation of national strength. Emerging cutting-edge technologies and industries such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology and advanced semiconductors are crucial, but new manufacturing in steel, shipbuilding and machinery is of equal strategic importance. Third, Japan should protect and foster rules-based, free and open markets. Free trade is the basis of prosperity for Japan and the world. Japan should work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union, among other regional groupings, to expand the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Creating a 'global common market' should be the future goal. Takashi Shiraishi Takashi Shiraishi is a scholar of Asian studies and distinguished university professor at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto, where he served as chancellor until the end of March 2024. Prior to that, he was president of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies from 2011 to 2017, and president of the Institute of Developing Economies, part of the Japan External Trade Organization, from 2007 to original article in Japanese appeared in the June 22 issue of The Yomiuri Shimbun.
Japan Today
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"It's in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump because you want him not to be successful so bad," Hegseth said. "There are so many aspects of what our brave men and women did that ... because of the hatred of this press corps, are undermined," he said. Trump praised Hegseth's news conference as: "One of the greatest, most professional, and most 'confirming' News Conferences I have ever seen!" On X, Hegseth thanked Trump for his praise. During the press conference, Caine, the top U.S. general largely stuck to technical details, outlining the history of the bunker-busting bombs used. Caine showed a video testing the bombs on a bunker like the ones struck on Sunday. Caine declined to provide his own assessment of the strike and deferred to the intelligence community. He denied being under any pressure to change his assessment to present a more optimistic view of the U.S. strikes. He also said he would not change his assessment due to politics. Uniformed military officials are supposed to remain apolitical and provide their best military advice. "I've never been pressured by the president or the secretary to do anything other than tell them exactly what I'm thinking, and that's exactly what I've done," he said. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Japan Today
5 hours ago
- Japan Today
Facing EU deadline, Apple announces App Store changes
Apple announced changes to its App Store payment rules in Europe as it hit a Thursday deadline to address accusations of breaking EU digital competition rules -- or face steep new daily fines. The European Commission in April slapped Apple with a fine of 500 million euros ($586 million) after concluding it prevented developers from steering customers outside its App Store to access cheaper deals in violation of the bloc's rules. The EU warned Apple it had 60 days -- until Thursday -- to make changes to comply with the rules or face additional "periodic penalty payments", which it believed could be more than 50 million euros daily. Apple has changed the rules on the App Store effective Thursday, allowing developers to offer different payment options directly to consumers within their apps, arguing that the changes address the EU's concerns. Apple has paid the 500-million-euro fine but still plans to appeal the penalty on July 7 -- and it hit out on Thursday at the extent of the changes sought by Brussels. "The European Commission is requiring Apple to make a series of additional changes to the App Store. We disagree with this outcome and plan to appeal," Apple said. EU spokesman Thomas Regnier said the commission took note of Apple's announcement "and will now assess these new business terms" to see if they are compliant with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA). "As part of this assessment the commission considers it particularly important to obtain the views of market operators and interested third parties before deciding on next steps," Regnier added. Apple has frequently hit out at the DMA antitrust rules, complaining it has no choice but to make the changes under threat of large fines. The EU reinforced its legal weaponry in recent years with major twin laws, the Digital Services Act and the DMA, which have provoked the ire of President Donald Trump. The U.S. leader has slammed the EU's digital laws and taxes as "non-tariff barriers" to trade and many tech CEOs have aligned with his administration. The EU and the United States are currently locked in negotiations to avoid Trump's sweeping tariffs on European goods but Brussels has insisted that the digital rules are a red line for the 27-country bloc. © 2025 AFP
