- Sunday, 29 November 2009
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Time is what keeps everything from happening at once - Karamazov Brothers
Apple agrees to cut Itune charges for Brits
APPLE AGREED to cut Itunes prices in the UK, in order to fend off the European Commission's anti-trust case against it.
The Commission announced Apple's move complied with its wishes and dropped the case. Apple promised to lower prices in Britain within six months to bring prices here in line with the rest of Europe.
Brits, as usual, were being stiffed by Apple's higher pricing policy.
The UK's Consumers' Association complained to EU regulators back in 2004 after it found that Apple customers elsewhere in Europe were forking out fewer Euros per Itune.
Apple's back-end software would go apeshit bananas whenever it saw a pound sign and add zeroes will-nilly, apparently.
The European Commission threatened Apple with a big stick and the Yuri Geller of plastic-bending firms was cowed.
It, "puts an end to the different treatment of UK consumers," a Commissioner proclaimed. µ
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And what about the extra profit the toy maker has made in the past 3+ years by stiffing people in the UK? And when is the same thing going to be done to the maker of exploding batteries and drm filled standards AKA Sony for our current exchange rate of a supposed 1$=1£
I was watching BBC News 24 earlier. And this was reported roughly (i.e. skipping over the main facts) as Apple being nice by lowering their prices without a particular reason, and even going so far as to possibily not deal with other companies who don't also reduce their prices in a likewise fashion.
As much as I loathe the EU for all its pointless laws & court cases, I really hope they stick it to Apple for all their past transgressions and doesn't let them weasel out of a big fine.
Given that the pound is dropping like a stone against the Euro and is likely to continue to do so for the forseeable future it is more than likely that the cost of UK Tunes will actually go up if parity with Euro prices is enforced in 6 months time.
Booya for the oofy chaps from Blighty, indeed! Nobody expects a Blighty Invasion! do they? Stick it to the INabz for knackering wi' me' knickers! Wotcha wonga, now lads! I shant be bitter again, unless my shant be bitter again! Straight from the vat! Apple should now reparate in the form of a Talent-Added rebate ~ dUKe royalties!

Although I generally like the way you guy at the Inquirer report on things, you've seem to not like Neelie Kroes, the head of the Anti-Trust department @ the European Commission.

When you feel that she's attacking eg. Microsoft, you call her names like the Chief Vole-basher.

But when she acually does something really good for the European people, you dont even mention her... Like in this case.

Nice and selective guys...
If you silly Brits would go ahead and convert to the Euro that you helped create, there wouldn't be this problem... now would there?
At least you don't live 'across the pond' where money devalues itself every three to four months.

How much is the Peso worth now?

Moving to Canada seems less and less strange.
They have iTunes in Canada, right?