Apple has got one antitrust monkey off its back, after the European Commission dropped probes into the apps development environment and after-sales care.
The EC reacted to Apple’s decision to relax its apps development rules earlier this month, hailing the change in procedure as a victory for European competition laws.
A separate probe into its after-sales care was dropped after Apple announced on Saturday it was establishing authorized repair centers to handle cross-border warranty claims for customers in member states, and Eastern Europe and Africa.
Joaquín Almunia, vice president of the commission'fs competition policy, claimed Apple had taken action after the EC opened the two inquiries earlier this year.
“Apple’s response to our preliminary investigations shows that the commission can use the competition rules to achieve swift results on the market with clear benefits for consumers, without the need to open formal proceedings,” Almunia said.
The relaxation of developer rules means apps firms can now use third-party layers to produce their content – a move the EC said offers more flexibility.