China doesn't have this insanity.
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EU Approves Landmark Legislation to Regulate Apple and Other Big Tech Firms
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China doesn't have this insanity.
Just don’t sell the new iPhones in Europe. run adverts explaining how the politicians caused this and why they are responsible for restricting your right to purchase the new iPhones. OR sell iPhones with sideloading enabled and charge €5k per handset to offset the potential loss in revenue because of the new EU rules. Again, highlight that it’s like this because of the new rules.
So?
There are other sources as well and they all show the same thing. The difference vs China is confortable enough that is makes is more than obvious thta EU is Apple's second largest market.
Apple Statistics (2025)
Apple is one of the most influential and recognisable brands in the world, responsible for the rise of the smartphone with the iPhone. Valued at over $2 trillion in 2021, it is also the most valuable technology company in the world. Originally known for desktop computers, Apple was one of the...
www.businessofapps.com
Prediction number 1:
Five years from now, Apple will still be selling iPhones with iOS in the European Economic Area.
Prediction number 2:
…and the App Store will still be operated in the region and be a billion dollar highly profitable business.
Five years from now, Apple will still be selling iPhones with iOS in the European Economic Area.
Prediction number 2:
…and the App Store will still be operated in the region and be a billion dollar highly profitable business.
Those fines? That, if a business does not adhere to the new regulations, it effectively takes the profit motive out of operating in the EU? And the fines are not on profits made in the EU, but on profits made OUTSIDE the EU? Fines of this level are clearly punitive.
I’m just saying that Apple doesn’t get the final say. There are Apple shareholders that are more keenly aware of how these changes will affect their bottom line than anyone here. If those shareholder see material damage to Apple’s profitability by making the proposed changes AND see material drops in Apple revenue by continuing to operate in the region with the fines in place, one of the outcomes could be just to get rid of the App Store in the EU. With no App Store, there’s no more ‘gatekeeper’ as there’s no more ‘Apple monopoly on Apple’s iOS Apple App Store’. Apple’s market share would drop (not too far, they’ve only got 20%
), the EU would may end up with a very vibrant Android market and both the EU and Apple would be fine in the end.
Ah, you're (mostly) right. I'd misread the table I'd linked as being the EU and the nations of the EU, but it was all of Europe.
So, I've corrected my post-- 20% of Apple's revenue is more than the individual GDP of 9 EU nations. As I pointed out, corporate fines could become a massive revenue stream for the EU.
They aren’t. Everyone can purchase iPhones and Apple is free to distribute compliant products and provide compliant services.
The just chose not to (if keeping to your suggestion)
Any company (or even private individual) in America should be familiar with the concept.
I have no doubt U.S. law has similar maximum provisions.
I‘m still waiting for the business case how Apple would be better off by not making money from the EU than continuing to do.
Even on platforms where sideloading is possible, the dominant store operator makes most of the revenue.
And if the EU wanted JUST that, they could have it. But, they don’t, they want to run Apple’s business. Which, in the end, MAY be acceptable to Apple, may not.
Well, I mean, as long as that authoritarian regime isn’t attempting to fundamentally alter the way Apple does business… Which, is kinda funny. If you’d asked me which region, the EU or China would have been the first to try to take over how Apple does business, I’d likely have incorrectly guessed China.
Nah, there’s no way that this would ever be able to be spun into a “not our fault” thing. Far better to just take the actions, maybe with a small neutrally worded announcement including, “We understand the EU regulations and plan to follow them completely”, and then sail off into the sunset.
Apple will continue making billions in other countries, and the EU will continue to thrive as well.20% is the max fine for violating the law for a second time. You are being deceitful with this attempt to suggest that EU is after 20% of Apple's global revenue.
And second It's not 9 countries it's 7 like I've wrote, not to mention that it says right in your link that the 2021 revenue was $365.8B not $380.
Apple may simply not want to change their business to fit what the EU feels they should be regarding sideloading. In NOT changing, they would be liable to pay the fees and it would be wrong to simply NOT pay the fees. Continuing the same business as they always have, BUT with huge fees on top of it which could cut Apple’s profits in the region in half may not be a business that they want to maintain. Shutting down the App Store in the EU would work to end the ‘gatekeeper’ fines as no one, in the EU, would be installing apps on the iPhone. (EU developers, of course, would still be able to deploy to App Stores in other regions, so their revenue could continue)
So, Apple merely has to line the coffers of the EU for a few years, change nothing and the EU would be happy with the status quo? My impression is that these would be continual, but if this is just a bit of EU extortion, then Apple could continue to operate, they’d just take a hit to their bottom line for a few years.
Nah, there’s no way that this would ever be able to be spun into a “not our fault” thing. Far better to just take the actions, maybe with a small neutrally worded announcement including, “We understand the EU regulations and plan to follow them completely”, and then sail off into the sunset.
I'm sure there will be some industrious individuals who make a trip to UK to bring back some iPhones to sell in the EU...
Of course not, EU is a democracy, they don't have the same goals China has.
The really funny thing is how CCP's desire to control and oversee every move of their citizens aligns with Apple's way of doing business.
I mean China has already taken over, they control most of Apple's ability to manufacture products and can push apple to do whatever they want, they just don't want to change the control Apple has, they just want to use it as well which I don't see how it can be considered great.
...and no one in their right mind would be buying iPhones for hundreds of Euros without installable third-party apps.
I still fail to see the business case how that would make Apple better off than just complying.
I'm not sure why you'd deliberately crappify the phone/OS. A phone with no first-party apps, backup support isn't going to sell well.
3. iOS 16 - same as worldwide but with the minimum required adjustments to conform to EU law. Surely that would sell best?!
Huh?
This EU law is mandating that Apple give users certain options—to replace default apps, to sideload, to use hardware features such as NFC. It is not preventing the use of Apple Pay, or mandating that you install apps which invade your privacy.
What is the scenario you're worried about?
No Europe is still quite a bit bigger than China. You are probably getting confused as China is the second biggest single country but the EU is a massive collection of countries.
https://www.businessofapps.com/data/apple-statistics/
I’m wondering what you’ll all be saying when the US or individual US states also bring something like this in. You can see it in the pipeline. Will you be telling Apple to pull out of the USA as well? Of course not but I look forward to when that day comes to see the comments.
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Well I can't wait to see kind of horrible unintended consequences will come from this (see cookie nag screens everywhere). I can see many people accidentally uninstalling Safari and the App Store and then they have no way of putting anything else on their phone (I work with people that only own an iPhone and don't even have a computer they could use to sideload apps back onto it).
It's a lot more than that. The EU is forcing Apple to open up Messages and have rules designed to kill Apple Pay.
To be fair the cookie nag screens are awful. You can get used to them though there’s plugins and extensions even on iPhone now that just hide them plus auto fill with settings you want.
Facebook's Meta's whistleblower Frances Haugen, gave an interview today on how they prevented free internet being developed in several countries around the world, providing zero-rating, basically no charges for its services, skewing the perspective of poor people to the lens of FB and WA.
And you guys still think non regulations is the way? Sure, as long as it endures the colonialism relations your countries benefits... I am glad AT LEAST EU is doing something since the country that bears this company won't make them responsible for this and the other attrocities it commits.
And you guys still think non regulations is the way? Sure, as long as it endures the colonialism relations your countries benefits... I am glad AT LEAST EU is doing something since the country that bears this company won't make them responsible for this and the other attrocities it commits.
Lol! Because criminals care about the law? 😂
The same logic could be used: “We don’t need locks on doors in Europe because it‘s illegal to break into somebody’s home.”
RCS is not a standard, it’s far from a standard. In fact, more carriers around the world do not support RCS than those that do. SMS is a standard and it sucks.