Tech rivals hound Apple over EU App Store plans

There's one thing uniting big and small tech companies operating in Europe: they can't stand Apple's approach to complying with the European Union's new Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA designates six big tech companies as online gatekeepers—Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft—and obligates them to open their platforms to competition. Apple's DMA compliance plan allows developers to set up alternative app stores and avoid Apple's in-app payment system. But Apple will still charge a commission, and the company has added new technology fees and payment processing fees for allowing an app to be used on its devices. Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs accused Apple of using "an immense amount of muscle" to maintain its "walled garden." Other big tech executives agreed, calling the plan a "horror show" and "a step in the wrong direction."