That is because Apple (and others) have resorted to malicious compliance. Once the investigation into the compliance is completed by the EU and Apple fined about $38 billion (10% of Apple's 2023 revenue as reported by Apple), things will be better for consumers.
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iPadOS Identified as Digital 'Gatekeeper' Under New EU Tech Rules
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Mostly because those apps are not allowed in THE App Store? lol
Expect the app is allowed because it is in the App Store in the rest of the world.
It is a bigger bully against the lesser bully.
As a user I only care if I can get what I want to get. It’s not like I can dismantle the EU. Better it does something for me than against me, just for once
These are all just continuing the made-up rules and justifications that the EU came up with for this whole gatekeeper status. It's clearly very carefully defined to target select companies.
EU antitrust officials on Monday identified iPadOS, Apple's operating system for iPads, as a significant digital gatekeeper under the EU's new tech regulations, which carry strict requirements that aim to promote fair competition and expand options for consumers.
Last September, the Commission designated Apple as a gatekeeper for its iOS iPhone operating system, its web browser Safari, and its App Store. On the same day, the Commission opened a market investigation to assess whether iPadOS constitutes an important gateway for business users to reach end users in order to assess whether should be designated as a gatekeeper.
That investigation has now ended. According to an EC press release shared on Monday, the Commission's investigation found that Apple "presents the features of a gatekeeper in relation to iPadOS," for the following reasons:
The Commission has now given Apple a six-month deadline to fully comply with the obligations set by the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which means we should expect enforced changes in iOS like alternative app marketplaces, web distribution, and alternative browsers to come to iPadOS as well in a forthcoming update.
To be classified as a "gatekeeper" under the DMA, a company must fulfill certain criteria, including having sales across the EU of at least €7.5 billion, or a market capitalization of €75 billion or above. The designation also requires platforms or services to have more than 45 million monthly active users and over 10,000 active business users annually within the EU.
Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft were all designated gatekeepers by the Commission, and had to fully comply with all DMA obligations by March 7.
Companies that do not adhere to the new regulations risk facing EU investigations, substantial fines, and the imposition of "behavioral or structural remedies." The fines can amount to 10 percent of a company's global revenue, with a 20 percent penalty for repeat violations.
Article Link: iPadOS Identified as Digital 'Gatekeeper' Under New EU Tech Rules
The EU rules will make iOS and iPadOS less secure by allowing access deeper into the core without Apple review. The devices may have been gatekeepers but only because no other vendor could create an ecosystem. Microsoft tried with a Windows phone and FAILED. Droid may have phones and tablets but have not been able to make desktop or laptop devices mainstream. So the socialist EU must cutdown the brilliant.
Only because Apple changed the rules like 2 seconds before he released it on Alt Store and he already accepted the new terms in the EU. Once you accept Apple's new terms in the EU you cannot go back. Again, this is Apple's fault.
apple is still motivated to provide the best platform to their users.
Apple's Shareholders will dictate "motivation". I didn't say development would stop but downsized.....absolutely.
I love the EU. Truly one of the greatest achievements of the modern world
Apple doesn't make 30% of their profits in the EU. It's closer to 7%. Apple's European revenue includes the UK, Russia, and the Middle East among other non-EU countries.
Yup, there is a downside. For Apple. It looses the income it gets from rent seeking.
Apple has already sold their device. Why do they want to control the device against the user's intention? If a user does not want Apple's control, they should leave it. The user has spent their hard-earned dollars for the device. Not like Apple, which wants to earn money through rent seeking.
Apple is no saint. Its privacy posture is to deny other advertisers data while gathering the same data for its ad platform.
In June last year, Germany’s antitrust watchdog opened a probe into Apple’s advertising technology, claiming that the firm’s terms of use unfairly favor Apple’s own services. In 2021, Apple dodged a French freeze on planned changes to the way it collects iPhone users’ data — but it was still facing an in-depth probe into whether the measures would harm advertisers.
Apple hit with french watchdog complaint over use of advertising data
Apple Inc. was hit with a complaint from the French antitrust watchdog over allegations it has imposed unfair conditions for the use of user data in advertising through its app store
If the decision is to for a reduced revenue vs no revenue, I think they would go some revenue rather than no revenue. We do not know that these changes will reduce Apple's revenue. Being open might actually sell more iPhones because Android users going for premium phones might plump for iPhones due to their open nature? Who knows? It is not as if other countries are ready to accept the status quo. Most countries are going the way of EU and expecting more openness from iOS and Appstores. How many countries can they exit and still exist as a company?
Wonder if Apple now regrets showing all their fancy slides at every opportunity that showed their products having such market leading sales/ownership. They may now be the cause of their own restrictions.
Wonder if their Macs will get the same treatment. Apple keeps telling us how they have the best selling laptop on the market so lets see if those sales push it into Gatekeeper status too.
Wonder if their Macs will get the same treatment. Apple keeps telling us how they have the best selling laptop on the market so lets see if those sales push it into Gatekeeper status too.
Apple: iPad OS is not the same as iOS even though they're essentially using the same AppStore. (See how clever I have been)
The EU: Well, we are changing the criteria to a qualitative criterion instead of prior quantitative criteria so that iPadOS becomes a gatekeeper. (See we can also be clever, no escape for you)
Are you advocating for Apple Music also to be designated a gatekeeper? Good catch.
Can you show me the successful smartphones that the US government has made?
Would you like to know how many corporations were caught in fraudulent activities? It is not like corporations have the interests of customers at their heart.
Many unhealthy products were bought by customers until the government intervened and banned them. Still think corporations know what is good for people while the governments do not? Any instances of a company voluntarily stopping producing a product because it was harming consumers when there was no fear of legislation/law?
So, EU users are saved from this disaster.
If it becomes unprofitable for businesses to be in the EU, they will cut production or move on. The EU is walking a very tight line right now, and they could very easily fall right off.