iPad Accessory Integration Becomes the EU's Next Regulatory Feud With Apple

[harrisondavies]

I guess the government really needs money, and this is probably easier to sell to their voters than raising taxes. 🤔

Since the UK left. Yes.

 

[v0lume4]

You know, I would just leave the market and tell the EU to piss off. The folks can inport the devices they want without all the toddler's nonsense.

For real. All those government officials probably use iPhones. When Apple says, "Alright, see ya," and then the officials can't buy their favorite products anymore, they'll go, "Whoa whoa whoa, hold up there buddy we didn't really mean it."

 

[iPadified]

So EU open up an investigation, which they are obliged to do, and before even finishing it, it is assumed that EU will fine Apple. Jumping to conclusions at its finest.

 

[v0lume4]

You would leave the European market and leave behind 25 percent (or more) of your annual sales? Good thing someone like Tim Cook, who is not known to make rash impulsive decisions, is still in charge.

Europe brought in $101.328 Billion in sales for Apple's fiscal year 2024. That's 25.9 percent of total revenue.

If Apple played hardball, the EU would cave. They probably all use iPhones. They wouldn't be willing to give that up when push came to shove.

Not to mention, since they apparently care so much about monopolies over there, Apple could threaten to pull out and say, "Well guys, good job, you've created a monopoly now. Google owns 100% of the future smartphone OS market share. Are you happy now?"

These companies just aren't willing to play hard enough.

 

[Analog Kid]

It seems like Europe keeps looking at everything that works particularly well relative to the competition and then decides to break it.

"Customers seem to really value how Apple implemented this, let's regulate it away."

 

[v0lume4]

Looking forward to buying a Ford with an Audi engine one day in the EU at this rate.

This is SO stupid.

 

[Krizoitz]

I did not say the EU makes up 25% of Apple's global revenue. I said Europe does. Specifically, I stated that "Europe brought in $101.328 Billion in sales for Apple's fiscal year 2024. That's 25.9 percent of total revenue."

And you are wrong. It’s not that hard to admit you were wrong. Try it.

 

[Analog Kid]

So EU open up an investigation, which they are obliged to do, and before even finishing it, it is assumed that EU will fine Apple. Jumping to conclusions at its finest.

It's not jumping to conclusions, it's pattern recognition. When the EU had to admit that they didn't care about the specific numeric thresholds they set anymore, they were still going to regulate things that don't meet their threshold test is when it became abundantly clear the scam they're running.

 

[Hogswarts]

I'd like to be able to install different software and electronics to control my Mercedes and BMW engines, but the "gatekeepers" stand in the way.

 

[Analog Kid]

For real. All those government officials probably use iPhones. When Apple says, "Alright, see ya," and then the officials can't buy their favorite products anymore, they'll go, "Whoa whoa whoa, hold up there buddy we didn't really mean it."

I'm sure they'll just switch to using a good European made phone with a European operating system like the... the... wait, I'll think of one... the....

Someone help me out?

 

[Krizoitz]

Monopolies breed stagnation. Without it Apple risks becoming the next Intel when something better captures the public mindshare.

Apple isn’t a monopoly. It doesn’t have a monopoly anywhere in the world.

 

[MyOwnDrummer]

I vote for Apple to engage in malicious compliance with this vile government overreach. EU = control freaks.

 

[The Cappy]

Always wanted to design products but you never had any talent? Become a bureaucrat in the EU and commence doing anything you want. Feel the power.

 

[Ctrlos]

What the EC seems to be proposing is that Apple cannot take advantage of their product integration to offer compelling features, e.g. quick pairing of AirPods and iCloud syncing. If that happens, Apple has no incentive to spend time and money developing features that their competitors can immediately capitalize on and integrate. As it stands, Apple typically does allow third parties to implement their proprietary features after a few years, e.g. iOS 18's support for quick pairing third-party BT accessories.

Some of the things are ludicrous I will agree. It's not like you can only use one brand of earphones on Apple devices. They can also publish apps to let you do the whole EQ thing.

 

[dasmb]

Good thing they're regulating the most important and influential markets, and not just attacking the companies that are most likely to be able to afford fines.

 

[No5tromo]

EU singlehandedly fighting for consumer rights and standardisation. Apple fanboys: 😡🤬🤬

 

[Naraxus]

This is beyond asinine. I really wish Apple had a CEO who would tell the EU Mafia to go **** themselves. The EU is, as usual, only looking for more money from its favorite ATM.

The EU needs to start innovating instead of inventing new charges to punish American companies over.

 

[Janschi]

The silly thing is if Apple really wanted to sew up the market they could just cut their prices and everyone’s dead.

Right now Apple is pretty relaxed competition wise and is nowhere near trying to destroy its competition. EU companies are just incredibly weak competitors rather than Apple is stifling anyone in a major way.

As a German: Not a single (of the few) phone company based in EU can compete with other Android manufacturers let alone Apple. Their products are trash, their Android customization is trash, their features too. I think many Europeans just have a kink for privacy and Apple slander. The sad thing is, the EU/Germany isn't only trying to be "der Führer" in things related to Apple.
Germany is actively destroying its automotive industry with stupid laws and by making cities as car unfriendly as it possibly can. Yet, you'll always read and hear the cries about how the city centers are dying out (just like the malls in the US), because everybody shops online. I'm not willing to carry 100 bags or bulky things around the city all day and then use the train AND bus to go get home. I'd rather just order in on Amazon then and have it delivered to my door.
Apart from that every mall and every city center is homogenized anyway. There's nothing downtown that I couldn't get close to my house (H&M, Zara, ...).

 

[rezwits]

You would leave the European market and leave behind 25 percent (or more) of your annual sales? Good thing someone like Tim Cook, who is not known to make rash impulsive decisions, is still in charge.

Europe brought in $101.328 Billion in sales for Apple's fiscal year 2024. That's 25.9 percent of total revenue.

Yeah and that is only approx. $25 Billion net profit! Downsize and F. um & F. um
When the fees that they want to impose are what? 25% of TOTAL annual profit? something absurd like that.
Don't make as much stuff and cut ties.
The EU board act like dictators and are getting "out of hand" here and there would be ok, but "out of hand..."

 

[Janschi]

The DMA, at is heart, is an attack on companies' ability to differentiate through integration. The App Store and side loading are just a tiny little part of it. Did you know the law states that if Apple gives itself access to an API, they have to give access to that API to anyone who asks for it? So Apple does all the hard work of thinking up a great idea, implement it, and then have to give access to that idea to literally anyone who asks for it, who can then undercut Apple on price.

And people wonder why the EU is so behind in innovation in the consumer tech space.

Your last sentence is chefs kiss!
Apart from the EU also destroying its automotive industry. Why doesn't the EU govern its car manufacturers like this? What if I don't like the OS the Skoda car has and want to use the Mercedes OS?

 

[asdfjkl;]

Frankly the DMA rulings appear a bit sketchy to me. But Apple asked for this kind of scrutiny with their Irish tax dodge. If they'd just paid their taxes instead of trying to skip out on that obligation they probably would not be experiencing quite this much scrutiny.

 

[Janschi]

Nope, they were regulated out of business.

Do you have a source for this, I'm interested.
Because I think they were lacking innovation.

 

[Janschi]

I wonder how many in the EU actually download from 3rd party app stores.

Other than Fortnite and Delta, there is nothing worth downloading as of now. And even those are so niche, that the majority of users won't even side load.

 

[Janschi]

That figure is for "Europe," which includes many countries that aren't in the EU, including the UK, which certainly accounts for a significant portion of that total (also Switzerland, Norway, Russia, Turkey, all of the Middle East, and parts of Africa). Most likely the EU accounts for about half that, or 13% (max) of Apple's total revenue.

Considering DMA fines could reach as high as 20% of Apple's global sales, it could absolutely be justified for Apple to pull out of the bloc.

As much as I love Apple and am inside the EU myself. I really hope they pull out of the market as its the only way to stop this BS. In my eyes this is a hate crime and I would've left last year.

 

[Martinpa]

It just seems like constant attacks on Apple’s business model of creating an ecosystem that offers integration advantages. Maybe time would be better spent attacking business models that threaten consumer’s privacy and security like data harvesting and brokerage. And yeah, they did something about cookies, but look how dimwitted the implementation is.