Microsoft president’s criticism of app stores puts pressure on Apple

 The claims by Brad Smith, the president of Microsoft, follow the European Commission opening an investigation into Apple. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP. Article by Alex Hern | Technology editor | The Guardian.

Cut of up to 30% charged by app stores obstructs fair competition, claims Brad Smith

Microsoft has thrown its weight behind calls for an antitrust investigation into App Store monopolies, piling yet more pressure on Apple as the iPhone maker prepares for its annual developer conference on Monday.

Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, criticised the 30% cut that app stores take from developers this month, and argued that the policy is a far higher burden on fair competition than the issues that led to Microsoft’s antitrust case in the early 2000s.

Smith’s comments, which did not mention Apple by name, add to a growing backlash against the company’s methods of monetising its position as the sole gatekeeper of what can be installed on iPhones and iPads around the world. […]

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