If each of those countries' governments decided to just forget why the EU exists in the first place.. sure, they could do that. It would be a pretty bad idea.. but they could do that.
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EU Planning to Force Apple to Give Developers Access to All Hardware and Software Features
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Apple has a big share in the tech market? What percentage of smartphones is Android compared to iOS?
Android Statistics (2025)
Android Key StatisticsAndroid OverviewAndroid Version Market ShareAndroid Vendor Market ShareAndroid vs iOS Market ShareAndroid UsersAndroid ShipmentsAndroid is the most popular operating system in the world, with over three billion active users spanning over 190 countries. Created by Andy Rubin...
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LOL, What? Of course they claim iOS to be a general purpose operating system. They may not use those words exactly, but they constantly boast about all the apps available on the app store, their support for developers and business through application support, and their ability to interoperate in various systems. They absolutely market iOS as a general purpose operating system and it is incredibly silly to say that they don't.
The ability to use a smartphone as a general purpose computer is literally the only reason people buy smartphones over regular cell phones.
No, it is simply forcing Apple to make already existing APIs available to everyone, not just themselves. There is nothing new that Apple has to create, here. Apple may need to untangle the artificial interlocks that they, themselves, created intentionally, but that is hardly an expense that Apple shouldn't be expected to bear on their own, since it is a situation that they created on their own.
Well then, I guess it is a good thing that these same regulations would also apply to Android.
Well that's the thing, there are no real world benefits to lock up the device like this. You should be able to repair your device if you are able and want to do it, you should be able to use the NFC reader for whatever app you like. You should be able to use any browser you want, any music app, any camera app, any appstore, any wallet.
Yes, literally what I said. I only added that it’s the CURRENT RULES that allows them to operate there and be profitable, which is also true. If it wasn’t profitable, then they wouldn’t want to.
There’s no blackmail here. 10% of Apple’s profits come from the EU. If the changes in the EU means that 10% drops reallly close to 0, then it wouldn’t make sense for Apple to continue to operate at cost or a loss. Apple’s shareholders wouldn’t allow Apple to maintain that business.
If Google, Microsoft, Amazon and other non-EU companies are all curtailing their business in the EU in the same way, then it would take a leap of enormous proportion to ONLY focus on Apple when everyone’s changing. And everyone wouldn’t be turning against Apple because there’s not a lot of folks in the EU that use iPhones. Those that use Android wouldn’t be turning against Apple, for example. They wouldn’t even care. They WOULD care about Google, though.
Look at the Russia/Ukraine situation. Apple is just one of a wide number of companies who’s business in Russia was affected. There’s no focused ire against Apple. This would be the same sort of situation.
That just shows that you don’t understand that Google and other non-EU companies would be affected.
If the EU is demanding that WhatsApp give their encryption keys to other companies in the goal of some useless interoperability, Meta would be required, by the EU to end operations. I do understand that on THIS site the focus is always on Apple, but many services provided by non-EU companies across the board would be affected.
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LOL! Well the car comparison is a prime example of why Apple IS wrong here. You CAN install whatever brakes you want in your car. OEM parts, cheaper aftermaket parts, even unbranded knockoffs. You can install an aftermarket radio. You can install a better sound system, interior strobe lights or a popcorn machine even if your manufacturer never intended such things. Its your car. You paid for it so you can use it for whatever you want however you want.
The EU see "competition" as knee-capping any non-EU competition. It's hilarious how the EU definition of "Gatekeeper" companies suspiciously doesn't apply to any EU companies.
“there is not a single technology that Apple has exclusivity over.”
If they have no exclusivity and no one would miss them, then they can’t have any power. That’s a lack of power. If Apple shuts down tomorrow, then folks would find other solutions. So, while Apple’s operating now, if folks don’t like what Apple’s selling, they don’t have to wait until Apple’s not a thing anymore, they could buy other products now. I mean, there’s not a single technology that Apple has exclusivity over.
One solution would be for Apple to completely close the OS (in certain countries). If developers want to sell an app in those countries, they would petition Apple for inclusion and, if their app is good enough, Apple would license it, and Apple would publish it. Of course, then they get publisher rights which would be a larger share of the profits. There are a good number of potential unintended consequences.
Nintendo boasts about all the games they have in the eShop, their support for developers and promotion of indie developers and their ability to interoperate with other platforms.
Guess that’s a general purpose operating system.
You CAN’T install whatever software you want in your car.
It's hilarious that people are advocating for the desktop experience of days-gone-by as some sort of standard.
The desktop system of app discovery - of having to do multiple searches and then trying to individually vet each program to a) ensure the developer's reputation and b) to understand that their app isn't a scam is incredibly time consuming.
Then, you hand over your billing details to all these developers (that you can't guarantee are not scammers) and hope that they a) are not scammers, b) invest in enough security to keep your PII and CC details safe and c) have the expertise and motivation to maintain that level of security.
Then, once downloaded, you need to a) remember where you purchased your product and then b) go back to that developer and update your PII and CC details if there is any change. If just one of those developers are compromised, you have to change your CC details on every single one.
Once downloaded, you realise that your new app is using a hodgepodge of non-standard UI features that clash with the OS and a number of none standard API's that chew your battery life and kill performance. There is no motivation to update your app to take in to account the latest developments in hardware or OS features.
Yes, that's clearly the answer....let's go back to that nightmare scenario. Just because it has "always been like this" doesn't mean that there aren't better ways of doing things.
Or we could have a single App Store, search, click and download. Apps are vetted for standards compliance and must incorporate latest developments to continue to be included on the store. Any issues, and we contact the App Store who handles it all...no need to contact individual developers who may or may not be helpful.
Devs then have the motivation to meet standards (imagine that), users get a good experience, security is maintained and most important of all, my PII and CC info is not spread around the internet which minimises any potential attack surface area. Apple have the resources and motivation to keep my details safe.
As an example:
Adobe was breached in 2013 exposing 152 million users details.
MyFitnessPal was breached in 2018 exposing 148 million users details.
Ebay was breached in 2014 exposing 145 million users details.
Dropbox was breached in 2012 exposing 69 million users details.
Uber was breached in 2016 exposing 57 million users details.
A number of those large companies were using poor security practices and in the case of Adobe, were storing passwords with weak encryption and hints in plain text meaning the passwords were easily resolved.
I don't think any of this restricts Apple's right to charge developers. It may convolute their ability to collect it, but every company has the right to charge for their IP.
I think we can find a few homeless people that could definitely do a better job.
I’m sorry but do we have any evidence about breaking privacy and security?
Considering one of the explicit things companies can’t do is:
This covers Facebook and google etc
track end users outside of the gatekeepers' core platform service for the purpose of targeted advertising, without effective consent having been granted
The Digital Services Act also stipulates that the end user must be offered at least one recommender algorithm option that is “not based on profiling,” or any of the sort of information usually collected for targeted advertising. One simple model is the “chronological feed” which lists all posts from those on a user’s following list in the order they were posted, rather than engaging a recommender algorithm as a filter.
Targeted advertising is being banned entirely from using certain categories of sensitive personal information: a recent press release names sexual orientation, religion and ethnicity as specific examples. It is also banned from targeting minors. The bill also promises all users “better control” over how personal data is used.
The “dark patterns” that also often govern the opt-out process of information sharing are also being banned entirely. And users must now be able to just as easily opt out of services that make use of targeted advertising as they opted in
Notices of collection of personal information for targeted advertising must also be non-arbitrary and non-discriminatory and respect fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and data protection.
algorithmic accountability.
The European Commission is requiring that gatekeeper platforms provide both it and EU member states access to the inner workings of recommender algorithms for scrutiny, and the public will be offered more information about them as well
I honestly see nothing wrong with this.
I’m also not seeing anything “Apple” specific. Imagine that.
It’s not hard to see why the US has so many trillion-dollar dollar tech companies, while I am struggling to name one from the EU.
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What are the biggest tech companies in Europe?
- Accenture (Ireland) - $39.1B. Accenture is a professional and technology services company headquartered in Ireland. ...
- SAP (Germany) - $27.4B. ...
- Capgemini (France) - $14.35B. ...
- ATOS (France) - $14.3B. ...
- T-Systems (Germany) - $7.74B. ...
- Computacenter (UK) - $5.74B. ...
- Amadeus IT Group (Spain) - $5.5B. ...
- Micro Focus (UK) - $4.8B.
Apple, the "global" company who's only remaining customers are in Tahiti, the single country in the world that doesn't have Apple tied up in at least one anti-trust case.
My apologies. I said “billion” when I really meant “trillion”.
and do you see the difference between them vs say, Apple and Google, which between them, make up almost 100% of the mobile market?
Or how Facebook and Google have effectively monopolised ad revenue?
Or Microsoft with their dominant share in enterprise desktop computing?
Even Uber, for all the negative press surrounding them, has managed to reinvent the staid taxi industry.
Those companies you listed probably provide genuinely useful services, but when was the last time you heard of any of them moving the needle in the tech world?
As a general rule, I feel that legislation should be telling people what not to do, rather than dictating what they should do, because this is the surest way to kill off innovation in the market.