While I'm certainly annoyed that this is a blatant ripoff of so many services out there already - more than anything, it just looks like a real snoozefest of a product. Beyond that, where does the App Store insanity stop? Is Apple going to pull a Fortnite and kick exercise apps off next for "duplicating core Apple products"?
Yes, I know that’s not explicitly what Fortnite was kicked off for. But let’s be honest here and look at Apple’s long history of anticompetitive behavior - that’s the core concern here, and Apple has shown a clear willingness to disadvantage 3rd party competitors.
Sure, Spotify is on the App Store - but when will I be able to download music and play it directly from my Watch with Spotify? Likely never - Apple simply will not allow that, while hypocritically allowing it with Apple Music.
So let’s not pretend - Apple cares about Apple first and second, and everyone else third.
I'm pretty sure the Spotify limitation is due to Spotify and not Apple. Other apps like overcast can download to audio to the watch and play without a phone.
To be clear - I'm talking about playing audio in the background, like Apple Music. That, as far as I know, has never been made available to third party app developers. And even if Apple has finally allowed Spotify the Great Privledge of joining Apple on it's playing field, it would have taken multiple years of complaints and hypocrisy from Apple to get there.
I believe Apple has made the APIs available for downloading and streaming from Watch apps. Pandora and other's use it. Spotify is the one refusing to bring this functionality to their app for whatever reason.
How generous of them - and goodness, it only took Apple several years of dragging their feet, hypocrisy and anti-competitive behavior for them to finally grace us all with those precious APIs. How thankful we all should be.
The watch thing is just Spotify not working on it anymore. They're focusing on their iPhone app and it's their decision. Pandora has a Watch app and the APIs allowed them to background play since Day 1.
Apple TV+ came much after Netflix and Prime Video. Are you saying Apple harmed them post TV+ release?
Messages, Music, Calendar etc, all have their own counterparts and I don't recall any history of Apple hurting them!
Why would Apple kickoff competing products that are abiding by AppStore rules? It's profitable for them when purchases or subscriptions are made... and hosting these competing products makes their AppStore space more valuable to boot.
No doubt they'll get kicked off as well if they try to circumvent the agreed payment medium
