While the lack of an iPhone 12 announcement at Apple's Keynote may have disappointed some, it seems that none were more frustrated than Spotify. This, however, is more the result of Apple confirming Apple One, a long-expected subscription bundling option of original applications. Included in the bundle is Apple Music, which has been a growing competitor to Spotify.
Spotify asserts that Apple is engaging in monopolistic behavior, indicating that selling both the devices on which consumers listen to music and offering a bundle with a music streaming service is inherently discouraging market competition.
Said Spotify,
“Apple is using its dominant position and unfair practices to disadvantage competitors and deprive consumers by favoring its own services. We call on competition authorities to act urgently to restrict Apple’s anti-competitive behavior, which if left unchecked, will cause irreparable harm to the developer community and threaten our collective freedoms to listen, learn, create, and connect.”
Apple has not stated that Apple One will at all prevent consumers from acquiring Spotify subscriptions in place of or in addition to Apple Music. Spotify itself has partaken in bundles with Hulu, AT&T, and Samsung, but their access to the tech-savvy public has fallen short in breadth compared to Apple’s role as the predominant authority in hardware.
Apple rebutted Spotify’s accusation by saying,
"Customers can discover and enjoy alternatives to every one of Apple’s services. We’re introducing Apple One because it is a great value for customers and a simple way to access the full range of Apple’s subscription services….Also select services included in Apple One are available to enjoy on non-Apple devices, and you can cancel anytime."
[via]