Apple is now facing an antitrust investigation in Germany

Germany’s competition watchdog, the Bundeskartellamt, has announced the launch of its own antitrust investigation into Apple’s practices.

Apple will now face yet another probe into its oft-criticised “walled garden” and whether it abuses its market position with unfair policies.

"An ecosystem which extends across various markets may be an indication that a company holds such a position,” the Bundeskartellamt said. “It is often very difficult for other...

21 June 2021 | App Stores

OpenUK: UK maintains lead in European open-source contributions

Research from OpenUK finds the UK continues to lead in European open-source contributions—delivering up to a £43 billion boost to the economy.

OpenUK is a non-profit which aims to develop and sustain UK leadership in open-source software, hardware, and data.

The UK is one of the leading countries for open-source contributors with an estimated 126,000 developers lending their skills to global efforts.

Cheryl Hung, VP of Ecosystem at the Cloud Native Computing...

11 March 2021 | Open Source

Research: How average developer salaries differ across Europe

A new report highlights the differences in the average salaries of developers across Europe.

The research, conducted by recruitment platform talent.io, evaluated the salaries of both full-time and freelance developers.

Munich offers full-time developers the highest median salary (€70,000), followed by London (€66,000), Berlin (€60,000), Amsterdam (€57,500), and Paris (€45,000).

The entry-level median salary for software developers in London is...

17 February 2021 | Developer

Letter criticises App Store policies as EU opens antitrust investigation

A developer has penned an open letter criticising the App Store’s policies just a week after the EU announced it’s launched an antitrust investigation.

In a letter, Basecamp CEO Jason Fried set out his issues with the App Store’s payment policies.

Fried admits that money, specifically the 30 percent cut which Apple takes, is “a large part of the story” – but it’s the “absence of choice and how Apple forcibly inserts themselves between [the] company and...

22 June 2020 | App Stores

The EU’s strict rules may delay coronavirus contact-tracing apps

Contact-tracing apps helping to fight the coronavirus pandemic may be delayed in the EU due to the bloc's strict regulations.

With daily new infections, hospitalisations, and deaths beginning to decline in many countries, the conversation is now switching to how lockdown measures can be eased without causing a deadly resurgence. Contact-tracing apps are expected to be key in helping people return to some degree of normality.

Contact-tracing apps anonymously log all the...

17 April 2020 | Android

Developers seek to build COVID-19 contact-tracing app compliant with EU’s strict GDPR

A consortium based in Switzerland is seeking to build a COVID-19 contact-tracing app compliant with the EU’s strict data protection regulation.

The EU’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) divides people into two camps. To some, the regulation offers citizens necessary protection against mass data collection. To others, GDPR is a hindrance that limits innovation and leads to startups establishing and offering their services in less strict regulatory...

6 April 2020 | Developer