It's telling that neither of these 3 scenarios is actually true. Microsoft's implementation of kernel access was completely up to them, and as we're seeing right now, they're undoing it and the EU isn't batting an eye. Why? Because how it was in the first place was never something the EU asked them to do. They required Microsoft to give equal access, that didn't mean they had to give kernel access or implement that in the way that they did. They're undoing it now because the CrowdStrike issue caused Microsoft brand damage.
Giving third parties "equal access" literally led to shutting down the world's internet for three days. When asked, the EU said "nobody told us that giving kernel access was a security problem." So, point to Apple being correct there - the EU has already shown it doesn't know what it's talking about and can't think through the consequences of their regulations.
The cookie pop-ups are only as bad as they are, yet again, because a few companies have made it their lives work to make the situation as bad as they could, the EU doesn't require websites to show cookie banners, websites just opted to be as much a nuisance as they could.
The EU mandated websites get permission from users to use cookies. How are they supposed to do that without asking the user? Honestly? How can you argue that's not the EU's fault? You can argue it's worth it, but not that it's not the EU's fault. If the EU thought websites could somehow get users' permission to use cookies without asking them, that's another point in Apple's favor that the EU isn't qualified to be regulating technology. Or, more likely, they assumed websites would just stop tracking users because they are incapable of thinking through the consequences of their regulations.
And finally, the EU never mandated all phones use Micro-USB. That's just flat out false in any regard.
I never said they did, I said they tried to, which is a fact. Apple pushed back, got them to make it voluntary and count an adapter is acceptable, which worked until the EU decided that wasn't good enough anymore.
They told the industry to standardize around a common port, something the industry - including Apple - agreed with, and then proceeded to do as such around USB-C, except for Apple, which in turn resulted in the EU making it an actual law.
Which is an incredibly stupid idea that will stifle innovation, even if we temporarily benefit. Apple was clearly moving to USB-C and now we'll never have a better port because there's no financial incentive for anyone to build one. For example, had something like this been in place in the early 2000s, we would almost certainly would have never gotten MagSafe, because Apple would have been required to use the EU's solution and there wouldn't have been any reason to develop it. Again, can't think through consequences of their regulations.
Each and every example you give is an example of corporation's anti-consumer behavior, so I guess, yeah, this situation is actually the same after all.
Each and every example I gave is an example of the EU's complete inability to think through the consequences of their regulations, which I agree is the case here too.
