Business
2024: Judge Grills Apple Exec About Whether Company Is Defying Order To Enable More IPhone Payment Options
OAKLAND, California – A federal judge on Wednesday questioned whether Apple had set up a maze of frustrating barriers to discourage other payment alternatives in iPhone apps, despite a court order to expand the number of ways consumers may pay for digital services.
The verbal sparring between Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers and the head of Apple’s app store kicked off a hearing to determine whether Apple is still steering U.S. consumers to its once-exclusive app payment system in violation of an injunction to encourage more choices that could help lower prices.
Gonzalez Rogers’ order mandates Apple to allow app developers to offer links to other payment systems in the United States. Apple earns billions of dollars yearly from this structure, which charges 15% to 30% on digital transactions within the most popular iPhone apps.
Judge Grills Apple Exec About Whether Company Is Defying Order To Enable More IPhone Payment Options
Apple’s app store and commission structure are also being challenged in a recent antitrust complaint brought by the United States Justice Department. The complaint alleges that the iPhone stifles competition and innovation.
Gonzalez Rogers frequently weighed in during Matthew Fischer’s four-hour testimony, sounding agitated and dubious.
The judge’s inquiries suggested that she is concerned that Apple’s efforts to comply with her order primarily protect the company’s profits rather than make it easier for iPhone customers to switch to other in-app payment choices, as she intended.
Gonzalez Rogers was particularly sharp as she questioned Fischer about whether Apple has purposefully made it more complicated for consumers to make digital transactions through alternative platforms.
“Other than to stifle competition, I can see no other answer,” the judge remarked as she attempted to decipher the reasoning behind Apple’s design of an alternative payment option system for iPhone apps.
Fischer claimed that Apple is complying with the judge’s decision while also attempting to protect iPhone users from criminal actors on the internet and allowing the Cupertino, California-based corporation, to profit from its investments in the app store and other mobile applications.
Judge Grills Apple Exec About Whether Company Is Defying Order To Enable More IPhone Payment Options
To that purpose, Apple has implemented a new compensation structure that ranges from 12% to 27% on digital transactions initiated within an app and finished using an alternative payment method. Following Gonzalez Rogers’ comment that Apple was still getting a “windfall,” Fischer stated that the business believed its effective fee rate on digital transactions processed via alternative payment alternatives to be around 18%.
“We are running a business,” Fischer stated.
Apple spent over two years attempting to reverse Gonzalez Rogers’ order as part of a larger antitrust case, which the corporation ultimately won. The injunction mandating Apple to allow links to alternative app payments went into force in January after the United States Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
However, Fischer announced on Wednesday that Apple has only received and authorized applications to display links to other payment systems from 38 apps, a small proportion of the approximately 2 million iPhone apps accessible in the United States. When asked by Gonzalez Rogers, who ordered Apple to reveal the number as the case progressed this month, Fischer could not explain how many of those apps engage in digital transactions.
The video game developer Epic Games cites Apple’s lack of interest in applying for in-app links to alternative payment alternatives as evidence that the system was still rigged in its favor.
Epic, the creator of the popular video game Fortnite, is attempting to force Apple to make more significant adjustments to accept alternative payment alternatives after failing to persuade Gonzalez Rogers that the iPhone app store had become a price-gouging monopoly during a 2021 trial.
Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, Elon Musk’s X short-messaging service, Spotify, and long-time Apple foe Microsoft all support the initiative.
Judge Grills Apple Exec About Whether Company Is Defying Order To Enable More IPhone Payment Options
Epic claimed in documents filed before Wednesday’s hearing that Apple’s current alternative payment formula “is guaranteed to continue extracting excessive commissions from developers” while preventing them from directing customers to other places where they could purchase the same digital services for less money.
In its pre-hearing filings, Apple accused Epic of attempting to persuade Gonzalez Rogers to micromanage its operations to increase the video game company’s revenues.
“Epic has repeatedly made clear that what it wants is access to and use of Apple’s tools and technologies without having to pay for them,” Apple countered.
The court proceedings will resume on Friday, when another top Apple official, Phil Schiller, will likely testify. Gonzalez Rogers intends to complete the hearings by May 17 but cautioned lawyers Wednesday that it might take longer.
SOURCE – (AP)
Business
Sonic the Hedgehog Dominates Christmas Wish Lists
Sonic the Hedgehog is dominating Christmas wish lists this year. The lovable blue hedgehog is back in the spotlight, from sonic the hedgehog toys and games to sonic the hedgehog coloring pages and movie hype.
Sonic-themed holiday merchandise is on fire, from quirky sweaters to action figures flying off shelves. Sonic the Hedgehog Christmas outfits for kids are selling out fast, making them a go-to gift option for festive fun.
Retailers have been quick to recognize Sonic’s holiday appeal. Special promotions and exclusive items, like the Sonic holiday t-shirts, are everywhere.
Everyone’s stocking up on Sonic merchandise, from big-box stores to boutique retailers.
Online shopping platforms are seeing a surge in searches for Sonic items. Whether it’s Sonic Christmas-themed tops or Sonic the Hedgehog coloring pages, Sonic the Hedgehog toys or Sonic and the Hedgehog 3, the demand is skyrocketing.
Retailers who tap into this trend are sure to see strong holiday sales.
Sonic has been around since the early 90s, but his popularity never wanes. With the release of Sonic 3, fans are more excited than ever.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4
Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures is preparing “Sonic the Hedgehog 4,” with the newest addition in the family-friendly genre set for a spring 2027 release.
The announcement comes as “Sonic 3” opens in theatres on Friday, estimated to gross $55 million to $60 million from 3,800 North American locations.
The sequel is shaping up to be a good holiday season blockbuster for Paramount, which explains the desire in future “Sonic” adventures. On the international front, the film will be released on Christmas Day in 52 markets.
On Rotten Tomatoes, critics gave “Sonic 3” an outstanding 87% fresh score.
The first two films grossed a total of $725.2 million at the global box office and generated over $180 million in global consumer expenditure through home entertainment rentals and digital purchases.
They also inspired a spinoff Paramount+ series, “Knuckles,” which premiered earlier this year.
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Business
Amazon Strike Called By Teamsters Union 10,000 Walkout
An Amazon strike has hit facilities in the United States in an effort by the Teamsters union to pressure the corporation for a labour agreement during a peak shopping season.
The Teamsters union told the Associated Press that Amazon delivery drivers at seven facilities in the United States walked off the job on Thursday after the firm failed to discuss a labour contract.
According to the union, Amazon employees in Teamsters union jackets were protesting at “hundreds” of additional Amazon facilities, which the union billed as the “largest strike” in US history involving the company.
The corporation, which employs over 800,000 people in its US delivery network, stated that its services will be unaffected.
It was unclear how many people, including members of Germany’s United Services Union, participated in Thursday’s demonstration. The Teamsters union reported that thousands of Amazon employees were implicated in the United States.
Amazon Strike at 10 Locations
Overall, the group claims to represent “nearly 10,000” Amazon strikers, having signed up thousands of people at roughly ten locations across the country, many of whom have joined in recent months.
The organization has claimed recognition from Amazon going on strike, claiming the firm illegally neglected its obligation to bargain collectively over salary and working conditions.
The Teamsters is a long-standing US union with nearly one million members. It is well-known for securing lucrative contracts for its members at companies like delivery behemoth UPS.
Most of the Teamsters’ Amazon campaigns have concerned drivers working for third-party delivery companies that partner with the tech behemoth.
Amazon denies that it is liable as an employer in those circumstances, which is a point of legal contention. In at least one case, labour officials have taken a preliminary stance in favour of the union.
Stalled Contract Negotiations
Amazon employees at a major warehouse on Staten Island in New York have also chosen to join the Teamsters. Their warehouse is the only Amazon facility in the United States where labour officials have formally recognized a union win.
However, the Amazon strike is because contract negotiations have not progressed since the 2022 vote. It was not one of the areas scheduled to go on strike on Thursday.
Amazon, one of the largest employers in the United States, has long received criticism for its working conditions and has been the target of activists seeking to gain traction among its employees.
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Business
Amazon Encounters Numerous Strikes As Unions Aim At The Holiday Shopping Surge.
(VOR News) – Thousands of Amazon employees at various sites across the country were scheduled to go on strike on Thursday in an effort by the Teamsters union to pressure the retail behemoth to acknowledge its unionised workers in the United States.
The walkout is expected to concentrate on seven Amazon locations across the country during the holiday purchasing surge and may be the most significant union action against Amazon in the nation’s history.
The business announced on Thursday morning that there had been no effect on operations. It also stated that it is “continuing to concentrate on fulfilling customers’ holiday orders.”
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters maintains that it represents more than 10,000 Amazon employees and contractors in aviation centres, warehouses, and delivery centres.
Amazon has refused to acknowledge the union for many years.
The retail giant, which employs approximately 1.5 million individuals, excludes contractors and part-timers. A strike has been initiated by delivery couriers and warehouse employees at seven distinct locations in order to exert pressure on the company to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement that would encompass modifications to compensation, amenities, and working conditions.
Picketing was intended for New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Skokie, Illinois.
Also, the Teamsters assert that they are establishing picket lines at “hundreds” of additional warehouses and delivery centres by encouraging non-unionized workers to picket under U.S. labour law, which protects workers’ ability to take collective action to further their interests.
“Amazon workers are exercising their power,” Randy Korgan stated to NPR.
“They now realise there is a pathway to take on a corporate giant like this – and that they hold the power.” Amazon responds by accusing the Teamsters of fabricating information regarding the strikes, asserting that the participants are “entirely” outsiders rather than employees or subcontractors of the corporation.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel stated that “the reality is that they were unable to secure sufficient support from our employees and partners and have invited external parties to harass and intimidate our team.” For more than a year, the Teamsters have been intentionally misleading the public by claiming to represent “thousands of employees and drivers.” They do not.
The Teamsters did not provide a specific duration for the strike; however, they informed NPR that it would extend beyond one day. Workers would receive $1,000 per week in strike money, as per the union.
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien issued a statement in which he stated, “If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can attribute it to Amazon’s insatiable greed.” We established a firm deadline for Amazon to attend the meeting and treat our members equitably. They disregarded it.
The Teamsters granted until December 15 to convene with its unionised employees and develop a collective bargaining agreement.
Amazon has opposed all unionisation efforts in court, asserting that unions were not advantageous to its employees and emphasising the compensation and benefits that the organisation currently provides.
Amazon has been accused of discriminatory labour practices on numerous occasions, including the termination of labour organisers. Furthermore, it has disputed its official status as a contract employer.
Teamsters organize Amazon delivery couriers and other employees.
In June, Amazon established its first unionised warehouse in Staten Island, New York, two years after making history by voting to join the fledgling Amazon Labour Union, which is also affiliated with the Teamsters.
The union is one of the most influential in the United States and Canada, with 1.3 million members. On Thursday, the German United Services Union declared that Amazon employees in Germany would participate in a strike in conjunction with their American counterparts.
In the past, Amazon has experienced demonstrations in Germany and Spain that were related to the holiday season in order to advocate for improved wages and working conditions.
“The holiday season has arrived.” Delivery is anticipated. Patricia Campos-Medina, the executive director of Cornell University’s Worker Institute, asserts that “this is the moment in which workers have control over the supply chain.”
The Teamsters have reported that Amazon’s profits have increased both during and after the pandemic. The corporation is currently valued at over $2.3 trillion, with net income of $15 billion in the most recent quarter alone. It is the second-largest private employer in the United States, following Walmart.
SOURCE: NPR
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