EU’s eye Falls On Alphabet

Generally speaking, competition is a good thing. Competition for food, that’s not such a good thing, competition for attention, can be a good thing, competition for your custom, that’s almost always a good thing, so a lot of people will be happy to hear that the European Commission is taking another look at the practices of Apple and Google over their app stores.

Apple was already in trouble with the EU over fears that their policies hurt fair competition from other companies on the Apple app store. Although Apple have since offered concessions since they fell out with Epic Games over the app store, the EU is still going to be inspecting these new proposals (which include allowing developers to effectively set up their own marketplace within the Apple app store) to see if they meet the their requirements. Google on the other hand are in hot water over claims the search engine weights search results in favour of Google services while hobbling those of its rivals.

Persistently ailing to follow the rules on competition usually leads to big fines.

Playing videogames, writing about videogames, considering videogames—that about sums it up. Videogames are the one hobby that I’ve kept since I was only little, zapping ducks on the NES or knocking out MR. X. And when I’m not enjoying classics from the bit generation of games or checking out those earliest of polygons, I’m probably playing something from today’s age of modern gaming: if I’m not complaining about it. Something I’m doing at the moment? Playing through Star Ocean: First Departure R.