Yes, because Lightning is reaching the end of its useful life and USB-C was a viable replacement (which Apple had a significant role in designing). Probably why Apple hasn't tried the same sort of "malicious compliance" shenanigans over USB-C that they're pulling with the App Store rules.
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Apple Challenges 'Unprecedented' €500M EU Fine Over App Store Steering Rules
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Apple deserves to be fined. It isn't a very ethical company to say the least, I'm not sure if any large American company is then again.
I don't need to buy a Switch 2 to access my bank's online banking app, run authenticator apps to log in to secure online accounts or do a bunch of other things that are making it increasingly unavoidable to have an up-to-date smartphone. Typically, using Apps that are only available in either the Apple Store or the Google Play store (which is also one of the EUs regulated "gatekeepers" & the subject of various EU regulatory actions).
NB: Yes, you *can* sideload on Android provided that you know you have to go to a particular not-obviously-relevant button in system settings and press it 7 times while chanting "All hail Meta Lord of all online advertising" (OK, you don't actually have to chant) and then do a bunch of other obscure things.
If Apple is committing “malicious compliance" then the EU is clearly committing “malicious regulation".
Just the magnitude of the fines and the increasing attempted use of the new innovation of fines based on global turnover prove that these fines are aimed at foreign global companies not local ones.
Also, in a society accustomed to choking and stifling regulation and taxation any pushback is seen as malicious.
And imagine seeing the same government who wanted to mandate Micro-USB mandate another port and thinking it was a good idea. Maybe we all would have been laughing about how big and clunky usb-c was in 10 years.
But no, the EU knows better than the people and companies in tech.
This is from a region where its companies decided to go for diesel cars because they couldn’t compete with Toyotas hybrids in 2000 then found they couldn’t do that either and stay within emissions regulations.
So they cheated.
explain to me why the EU think they can levy an amount based on global turnover rather than EU turnover...
And how do you assess a company that spreads false statements and obviously lies deliberately?
If you explain beforehand why developers who want to make apps available for the iPhone have to pay an annual fee per download even though they don't use the App Store operated by Apple and this concept doesn't exist on Mac.
Yes, when a trillion dollar company wilfully ignores the laws of a country that they choose to trade in, they should be given a fixed fine that they can pay out of petty cash. That'll teach em.
The "gatekeeper" companies were designated because they dominate the market in various key digital services. It's hardly surprising that they are huge global companies headquartered in countries with minimal regulation - that's not conspiracy, that's cause-and-effect.
Congratulations. You can be proud of having internalized the lies of the Apple corporation.
Contrary to what is claimed in the statement, the EU's DMA does not influence the App Store's terms and conditions and continues to give Apple a free hand to make money from them.
Furthermore, the “confusing new terms and conditions” do not originate from the EU, but were explicitly designed by Apple to make alternatives to the App Store as inconvenient as possible.
Except: you don’t.
Sideloading on iOS has existed - and been officially offered by Apple - for almost 15 years.
It was no problem at all, when it benefitted Apple in iPhones being adopted by large enterprises.
They just contractually prohibited it from being used for distribution to end users.
I meant software from anywhere outside of the App Store. This will increase the amount of malicious software AND bad actors ability to execute this code by 10x. Android and Apple are on a feature parity, so if you don't want the walled garden just don't buy an iPhone or an iPad. Simple as that. Walled garden IS the defining reason I purchase an iPhone instead of an Android phone.
Again and again and again, they will NOT leave their second most important market.
I also read yesterday that in the negotiations with the US government over tariffs, the EU has offered to relax the rules of the DMA for US tech companies.
Lightning had a usb3.0 mode, a wider lightning at the same thinnes couldve supported thunderbolt speeds. By banning Lightning EU inhibited Apple's right to innovate and invent. And no it really doesn't matter that Apple helped the creation of usb-c and promoted it with their macbooks and ipads, USB-C hinders the ability for a phone to be thinner below 4mm
As an EU citizen, I would be in favour of the EU stopping all this nonsense about opening up Apple's ecosystem and forcing Tim Apple to make RAM and SSD upgradable in Macs instead.
If you don’t like it, don’t use it (download from anywhere else).
As for the technical implications, understand that installation of software (not reviewed by Apple) from outside the App Store has been possible fir many years (see my previous post above).
And telling apple to create factories in USA isn't?
Just like you are free to not download from somewhere else.
And they are not on feature parity.
I couldn’t disagree more - and I don’t believe it at all, if you asked “normal” consumers on the street.
Availability of hardware options and hardware specs, looks, price, familiarity with the operating system, tech “support” from family members and friends, having bought into an ecosystem through third-party apps, mere peer pressure etc. are arguably all more important than the closedness.
My mother certainly did not buy an iPhone because it’s so closed - but because I can help her. And she’s been familiar with it. If I were a die-hard Android user for 15+ years, would she on insist buying iOS instead, just because it’s more closed? No.
That’s the reality.
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Because they use Apple’s intellectual property to make money. If you use someone’s property, you need to compensate them for that use if they ask. Particularly if you’re using their property to make money yourself.
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Follow EEC rules if you want to do business in the EEC. This is no different than follow California laws if you want to do business there.
you dont acknowledge that adding code to allow external app stores completely changes the secure Apple controlled app process. even if you dont use the external app stores.
the code to allow it is in there.
it's another potential exploit spot.
except the rules keep changing...