If I was Tim Apple, probably allow third party payment providers (from a list of Apple-approved providers that have to handle disputes, unsubs etc in an approved way). And then charge a per-download fee to apps which offer in-app subscriptions without using Apple's payment option.
It would inevitably lead to claims that alternative app stores should be permitted but it solves the present problem and pushes the second issue a good few years into the future (given the speed that these inquiries move at)
For sure, but it seems like most law makers are easily distracted by some mirrors and a bit of smoke. I'm not sure the EU won't be, but that we've gotten this far provides some hope.
Margrethe Vestager (the european commissioner for competition since 2014) is not that kind of fool, if you look at her history since she got that job. And since 2019 she's also been named "President of the European Commission for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age" so I think this matter is not something she will ignore easily.
She's one of the absolute best thing to happen to the EU, and has proven to be willing to do what it takes to protect competitivity on the market.
On HN she's often seen in tech news and thus could appear to be "against US companies only" but far from it, eg in 2019 she blocked the giant merger of Alstom and Siemens trains divisions against the will of both the German and French government.
