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Well, as I am living in the EU, I can tell that Brussels' views about what they consider as a "free" market somewhat differs from the common understanding of the phrase.
Obviously, they do not think that a manufacturer is free to decide what is implemented in the products, and what isn't.
Well there you go, that makes the desire for companies to invest R&D money in new and innovative products a waste in EU.
 
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No, not in the slightest, especially in Europe.

Marketshare is not really a test in European antitrust law, the test is if they have a material ability to impact consumer pricing. Antitrust actions against companies with minority marketshares aren't uncommon in the EU.
And is the line where pricing is assessed is arbitrary? I would assume that pricing would be done at the retail level prior to hardware purchase.
 
What is it that the EU doesn't understand about consumers not wanting massive fragmentation in every aspect of their lives? For example, if banks are allowed direct access to the NFC chip they're going to force you to open/use their terrible apps to use Apple Pay. Without Apple strong-arming them, they would have already done so in Australia.
If my bank started trying to force me to use their app over Apple Wallet, I'll be leaving for another bank that doesn't. I don't get why this is an issue, every bank I've used can have their card in the wallet. Every credit card. Being able to double click (on my watch) and then select the card I want (from competing banks) is great. I don't want to have to fire up an app, log in, then pay or go to settings, change which app is launched when HFC payment is detected then pay.
 
Can you use your iPhone to enter an amusement park (without a stupid last decade barcode screen shots) with contactless ticket, without even opening the phone, or can you buy a train / airline ticket and use then NFC to access the train /airline? No, because Apple is stiffling a competition and preventents companies to be innovative.

Can you charge a 30 -day metrocard to your iPhone? You can for Android, but not for iPhone.

For instance, a French operator SNCF has this mentioned on their web site: ”if you are a customer with an NFC-compatible Android smartphone, you must install the “Ticket sans contact” (contactless ticket) extension offered by our partner Wizway Solutions.”

This is not available for an iPhone because Apple is protecting their Apple Pay revenues.

Other example: https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-sc...L8TE5PaReLk-1633535149-0-gqNtZGzNAmWjcnBszQel

”You can now load ScotRail Smart tickets onto ScotRail and SPT Subway Smartcards using an NFC-enabled Android phone and the latest version of the ScotRail app.”

APPLE IS STIFFLING COMPETITION! Hence, they are under investigation.

All the examples you offer require the support of the third party...nothing to do with Apple. Amusement parks/airlines don't offer NFC tickets because they don't support the tech (and, at least for airlines, probably won't for a very long time).

You can use Apple Pay to buy a NYC subway ride without unlocking, and you can use Apple Pay to purchase train tickets and multi-use passes.

And I'm totally fine with being unable to install a contactless "extension," thank you very much. The train operator should get it together and offer native Wallet support.
 
If my bank started trying to force me to use their app over Apple Wallet, I'll be leaving for another bank that doesn't. I don't get why this is an issue, every bank I've used can have their card in the wallet. Every credit card. Being able to double click (on my watch) and then select the card I want (from competing banks) is great. I don't want to have to fire up an app, log in, then pay or go to settings, change which app is launched when HFC payment is detected then pay.

Agreed. Unfortunately it's not super easy to change banks.
 
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It used to be for a auto manufacturer to sell vehicles here, they had conform to the US DOT requirements, as far as lighting, safety, etc. if you didn't you can't sell here, those sleek headlights..that lit the road of the European cars were not allowed. US DOT required "5 MPH bumpers" that were fugly, but supposed to protect from bad parkers. Made the European and Asian cars ugly.
 
Can you use your iPhone to enter an amusement park (without a stupid last decade barcode screen shots) with contactless ticket, without even opening the phone, or can you buy a train / airline ticket and use then NFC to access the train /airline? No, because Apple is stiffling competition and preventents companies to be innovative.

Can you charge a 30 -day metrocard to your iPhone? You can for Android, but not for iPhone.

For instance, a French operator SNCF has this mentioned on their web site: ”if you are a customer with an NFC-compatible Android smartphone, you must install the “Ticket sans contact” (contactless ticket) extension offered by our partner Wizway Solutions.”

This is not available for an iPhone because Apple is protecting their Apple Pay revenues.

Other example: https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-sc...L8TE5PaReLk-1633535149-0-gqNtZGzNAmWjcnBszQel

”You can now load ScotRail Smart tickets onto ScotRail and SPT Subway Smartcards using an NFC-enabled Android phone and the latest version of the ScotRail app.”

APPLE IS STIFFLING COMPETITION! Hence, they are under investigation.
I don't want and will not accept anything where I don't need to unlock a device to have a transaction. You can also get all kinds of bad crap on you Android phone too and less so on an iPhone
 
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Can you use your iPhone to enter an amusement park (without a stupid last decade barcode screen shots) with contactless ticket, without even opening the phone, or can you buy a train / airline ticket and use then NFC to access the train /airline? No, because Apple is stiffling competition and preventents companies to be innovative.

Can you charge a 30 -day metrocard to your iPhone? You can for Android, but not for iPhone.

For instance, a French operator SNCF has this mentioned on their web site: ”if you are a customer with an NFC-compatible Android smartphone, you must install the “Ticket sans contact” (contactless ticket) extension offered by our partner Wizway Solutions.”

This is not available for an iPhone because Apple is protecting their Apple Pay revenues.

Other example: https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-sc...L8TE5PaReLk-1633535149-0-gqNtZGzNAmWjcnBszQel

”You can now load ScotRail Smart tickets onto ScotRail and SPT Subway Smartcards using an NFC-enabled Android phone and the latest version of the ScotRail app.”

APPLE IS STIFFLING COMPETITION! Hence, they are under investigation.
You don’t really “get” stiffling competition (its STIFLING BTW)?  not offering a feature other have is NOT stifling competition. If anything, it actually HURTSS  as user migrate to a platform that DOES offer, what they want. I’ve never heard a single person with  device, wish they had Google pay or some other competitors payment system on their device.
 
I think the alternative here would be for apple to create a separate app that has access to the NFC chip so that it keeps it isolated from everything else on the phone.
I think the alternative here is for Apple to not block Gpay, Samsung Pay, etc. from the App store. Then they wouldn't be in this mess.

Having used all 3, opening that up is no threat. Apple pay is far better than the others and if you have Apple devices, you're using Apple pay.
 
All the examples you offer require the support of the third party...nothing to do with Apple. Amusement parks/airlines don't offer NFC tickets because they don't support the tech (and, at least for airlines, probably won't for a very long time).

You can use Apple Pay to buy a NYC subway ride without unlocking, and you can use Apple Pay to purchase train tickets and multi-use passes.

And I'm totally fine with being unable to install a contactless "extension," thank you very much. The train operator should get it together and offer native Wallet support.
So you are, but still by limiting third parties an access to NFC is an abuse of power. Let the user decide do they let an app to have an access to NFC or not. Same as you let Whatsapp to access your camera/contacts or not. I don’t, because Facebook is a peeping-tom of companies. Same goes with Google why I prefer Apple. But I very much would like to have my 30 day bus card loaded to my phone.
 
Perhaps a lawyer can jump in for this question: when a company is accused of antitrust behavior, isn't there a requirement that consumers are forced to use the product, or are at least significantly disadvantaged if they don't?

I mean it in the context of, no one is really forced to buy an iPhone, anyone can easily switch to Android. I contrast that with Microsoft's antitrust in the 90s, where they had 90% market share and much of the software was only available on Windows, which de facto forced everyone onto Windows.
EU antitrust laws are quite different from the U.S. laws. The EU has a much broader definition of what constitutes anti-competitive activity.
 
What is it that the EU doesn't understand about consumers not wanting massive fragmentation in every aspect of their lives? For example, if banks are allowed direct access to the NFC chip they're going to force you to open/use their terrible apps to use Apple Pay. Without Apple strong-arming them, they would have already done so in Australia.
How would banks be forcing you to use their apps?
 
The banks would love to be able to provide Apple-Pay-like functionality for their cards without paying Apple a cut of their transaction fees. If Apple is forced to open NFC up for payment purposes (it already is usable by apps for other things), banks would most likely start dropping Apple Pay support and force you to use their own apps.
I think banks have learned this lesson already though.

They all tried that already and unsurprisingly, realized literally no one used their proprietary apps to do this because who TF wants to have a separate app for every card they have? No body.

The opposite is more true as most banks have sunset this feature entirely from their apps. Realistically, that sliver of 0.19% they pay Apple is probably not far off from the costs of development and maintenance of their own home brewed feature. There is a lot more behind these systems than just an app.
 
well, we/USA forced all manufacturers of automobiles to use our stupid incandescent headlights....and halogen in the same configuration was illegal also.
Even though the comment you were replying to was stupidly absurd, I think your reply needs some clarification.

The sealed beam rule was enacted to prevent numerous OEMs with myriad vehicle designs (look at a 1930’s Lincoln Zephyr lamp for example) but only primitive abilities to uniformly sharply focus and cut off the beams with consistent illumination (so drivers could see and opposite traffic wouldn’t be blinded). Other considerations were that a sealed beam never suffered from illumination degradation due to dust or water ingress fouling the reflex or lens (unless chipped by a stone.)

This limitation of choice was was a government decision (possibly under lobbying pressure from, or in collusion with, independent bulb makers like GE, Tungsol & Sylvania, or captives like GM’s Guide Lamp Div.) as opposed to an OEM-led one.

If say GM, with then >50% market share, had decided to go with the sealed beam lamp, it would have represented merely a styling decision with safety implications, but, if GM held IP blocking the competition from such bulbs, it might have become an issue where the market behemoth was blocking others from implementing a technology that was in the public’s vital interest. (This is arguably what Apple is vis a vis a closed Apple Pay not being offered to payment competitors.)

Regarding halogen sealed beam, your statement is inaccurate. Halogen sealed beams were offered (standard) on the Lincoln Versailles sometime around 1977-79, and halogen sealed beams rapidly proliferated in the US until being eclipsed by composite headlamps starting around 1983.

comment: IMHO, compared to Europe, the US’ FMVSS headlamp requirement has fallen behind that of Europe but the US’ side marker requirement still leads Europe’s.
 
Even though the comment you were replying to was stupidly absurd, I think your reply needs some clarification.

The sealed beam rule was enacted to prevent numerous OEMs with myriad vehicle designs (look at a 1930’s Lincoln Zephyr lamp for example) but only primitive abilities to uniformly sharply focus and cut off the beams with consistent illumination (so drivers could see and opposite traffic wouldn’t be blinded). Other considerations were that a sealed beam never suffered from illumination degradation due to dust or water ingress fouling the reflex or lens (unless chipped by a stone.)

This limitation of choice was was a government decision (possibly under lobbying pressure from, or in collusion with, independent bulb makers like GE, Tungsol & Sylvania, or captives like GM’s Guide Lamp Div.) as opposed to an OEM-led one.

If say GM, with then >50% market share, had decided to go with the sealed beam lamp, it would have represented merely a styling decision with safety implications, but, if GM held IP blocking the competition from such bulbs, it might have become an issue where the market behemoth was blocking others from implementing a technology that was in the public’s vital interest. (This is arguably what Apple is vis a vis a closed Apple Pay not being offered to payment competitors.)

Regarding halogen sealed beam, your statement is inaccurate. Halogen sealed beams were offered (standard) on the Lincoln Versailles sometime around 1977-79, and halogen sealed beams rapidly proliferated in the US until being eclipsed by composite headlamps starting around 1983.

comment: IMHO, compared to Europe, the US’ FMVSS headlamp requirement has fallen behind that of Europe but the US’ side marker requirement still leads Europe’s.
I remember a friend getting Cibie rounds the replaced the seed beams in his '72 240Z They used halogen lamps inside that were replaceable and were so much better, however were illegal. Then later, I did the same thing on my '71 Lincoln Mercury Capri.

My point was we have saddled other countries with our rules if you want to sell here too.
 
You don’t really “get” stiffling competition (its STIFLING BTW)?  not offering a feature other have is NOT stifling competition. If anything, it actually HURTSS  as user migrate to a platform that DOES offer, what they want. I’ve never heard a single person with  device, wish they had Google pay or some other competitors payment system on their device.
Thanks for the writing correction. (corrected the original)

I chose the wording, because the comment I quoted, used it to accuse the EU to ”stifle” competition.

By denying an access to NFC for third parties, Apple is driving the community to not have services that would benefit of the STANDARD of NFC. Apple instead wants to use it locked and only through their walled garden payment system. Not to protect the user in any way, but to protect their flow of cash.
 
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By dropping the option for Apple Pay on their credit and debit cards.

The Swiss banking cartel has tried to frustrate ApplePay from the start and even the banks that have introduced AP have severely limited its availability across their card offerings.

Banks are not customer focused.
Which bank has a monopoly? You are free to switch banks.
 
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