And there goes Spotify on a tirade against Apple. Again!
The launch of Apple One has certainly ruffled a fair few feathers and the Swedish based online music streaming app has certainly pulled no punches in taking an exception to it. In a scathing statement put out by the company, Spotify has accused Apple to the extent of employing unfair trade practices.
“Once again, Apple is using its dominant position and unfair practices to disadvantage competitors and deprive consumers by favoring its own services. We call on competition authorities to act urgently to restrict Apple’s anti-competitive behavior, which if left unchecked, will cause irreparable harm to the developer community and threaten our collective freedoms to listen, learn, create, and connect,” Spotify said in a blog post.
Going by the statement, one can safely assume that Spotify is certainly not Apple’s biggest fan.
The bundle of subscription services, launched at the Apple’s Time Flies event, will give customers different options to combine its streaming services in a new Apple One bundle. Apple One plans include the following three types:
Apple One Individual plan: Includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage for $14.95 (roughly over Rs. 1100) per month.
Apple One Family Plan: Includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 200GB of iCloud storage for $19.95 (roughly around Rs. 1500) per month, and can be shared among up to six family members.
Apple One Premier Plan: Includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, and 2TB of iCloud storage for $29.95 (roughly Rs. 2200) per month, and can be shared among up to six family members.
In addition, Apple also announced a 30-day free trial for any of the Apple One services that customers do not already have. Not only this, the Apple One Individual and Family plans are set to be made available in no less than 100 countries as soon as this fall.
While it’s an open secret that Apple has been ramping up efforts to grow in the services division, it’s an area which the company has long held an interest to invest. Bundling subscription services together is an altogether sweet deal, giving it another great arrow in its quiver of cross-promoting it. With overall usage sure to go higher whilst collecting monthly revenue, it will also make it mightily hard to leave the Apple ecosystem for any customer.
Spotify Aims At Apple, Again
This is, however, not the first time that Spotify has cried foul against Apple. The new complaint comes after months of antitrust accusations and litigation against the world’s most valued publicly traded tech company, where Spotify was one of the earliest to discuss the matter. The music company had launched an anti-competitive suit against Apple in March 2019 in the EU as well.
Currently, Spotify and Apple charge $10 (roughly Rs 740) a month for their streaming music service, but the Apple One package bundling it with other services starting at $15 (starting from Rs. 195 per month in India) per month is a bone of contention.
In response, Apple was also swift to respond in a statement to Reuters – “Customers can discover and enjoy alternatives to every one of Apple’s services. We’re introducing Apple One because it is a great value for customers and a simple way to access the full range of Apple’s subscription services. We’ll be recommending the Apple One plan that saves you the most money based on the subscriptions you already have. It’s perfect for anyone who loves any of our services and wants to get more for less, and it’s especially great for families. Also select services included in Apple One are availbel to enjoy on non-Apple devices, and you can cancel anytime. “
While Apple has really seemed to have touched a nerve here, Spotify would do better mulling other options such as lowering its subscription prices or finally enter into an alliance with other streaming giants. If it really wants to compete, crying wolf should be its last resort. Stay tuned to this space for more updates.
Do you think Spotify is anxious by sensing a nail-biting competition ahead or it’s Apple who is intentionally trying to exercise practices that will make others an uphill battle to fight? Do let us know your views in the comment section below.
