EU law will force Apple to blow open its entire hardware and software stack

Posted:
in General Discussion
A European Parliament committee has advanced an agreement between member states on the Digital Markets Act, which if passed as it presently stands, will force Apple and others to open up otherwise restricted app stores, hardware features, and more.

European Union flags
European Union flags


On Monday, The EU Parliament's Internal Market Committee approved the provisionally reached agreement with 43 votes in favor, one vote against, and one abstention, the legislative body has announced. The approval marks another crucial step toward the DMA becoming law in Europe.

"Today's overwhelming majority shows that the Parliament stands united against the unfair practices of gatekeepers," said Andreas Schwab, who led negotiations. "This is the penultimate step for the DMA to enter into force - for me, it has always been important to fast-track this law while making it better."

The Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act will place a bevy of restrictions on so-called "gatekeeper" companies like Apple and Google.

For example, the rules could force Apple to allow third-party app stores on its platforms, make iMessage interoperable with other communication apps, and end self-preferencing of first-party apps within marketplaces.

Futhermore, it requires the companies to open up NFC communications, features like ultrawide broadband implementations, and other specific hardware features tied to an integrated ecosystem. Both software and hardware are under the gun for opening to others to use.

The rules will come with strict penalties for noncompliance. The European Commission can levy fines of up to 10% of a company's global revenue from the proceeding financial year. Those fines can reach up to 20% in cases of repeated violations.

Both the DMA and the DSA are slated to go before Parliament for a final vote in July. Once that happens, they will be formally adopted by the Council and published into the EU Official Journal.

DMA regulations could go into effect 20 days after the publication, and its provisions will begin to apply to businesses six months afterward.

Read on AppleInsider
«1345

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 98
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,239member
    EU is a dictatorship, plain and simple. At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH. The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down. The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. 
    jas99mike1williamlondonpslicescstrrfAnilu_777doozydozenbshankmikeybabesjony0
  • Reply 2 of 98
    xyzzy-xxxxyzzy-xxx Posts: 184member
    rob53 said:
    EU is a dictatorship, plain and simple. At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH. The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down. The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. 
    Are you serious? Revenue share Q2 2021 of Apple:
    1. USA 38%
    2. EU 24%
    3. Greater China 20%
    ...
    By the way – I would guess that USA will follow EU!
    nadrieldarkvadermuthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 3 of 98
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    rob53 said:
    EU is a dictatorship, plain and simple. At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH. The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down. The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. 
    Weird how the EU dictatorship has so many elections.  
    xyzzy-xxxnadriellam92103darkvaderIreneWAlex1Nmuthuk_vanalingamhucom2000montrosemacsjony0
  • Reply 4 of 98
    aderutteraderutter Posts: 602member
    Even if this happens Apple will not have to make it easy for others to “interoperate” with iMessage for example, and Apple can soon make the experience much nicer on their hardware anyway.

    Even if a non-Apple app-store is made available on iOS it will be crippled to some extent and almost nobody will use it regardless. 

    I predict that in a few years when this is history we’ll look back and wonder what all the fuss was and what the EU has achieved.

    Then on top of that people expect Apple to largely stop “selling” iPhones and move to a hire/rental model - to further solidify tie-in to the platform. Personally I buy devices outright, but I’d pay for an Apple hire if the price was right. 
    jas99AniMillscstrrfAlex1Ndoozydozenjony0
  • Reply 5 of 98
    aderutteraderutter Posts: 602member
    Oh and iMessage going cross-platform might just kill the pricacy/security nightmare that is WhatsApp = silver lining.
    AniMillscstrrfDAalsethAlex1N
  • Reply 6 of 98
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,461member
    Europe will only get Apple’s rental devices. 
    doozydozenKTRdocno42
  • Reply 7 of 98
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,273member
    aderutter said:
    Oh and iMessage going cross-platform might just kill the pricacy/security nightmare that is WhatsApp = silver lining.

    iMessage is already compatible with other platforms.
    Even the EU can't dictate that every phone from every manufacturer using every operating system have exactly the same feature set.

    rob53 said:
    EU is a dictatorship, plain and simple. At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH. The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down. The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. 

    While I generally feel that tariffs and import duties are not a good thing. I agree that the US should target European industries as retaliation. These "laws" are targeting American companies and will directly affect American consumers, jobs and investors. The retaliatory measures should hurt European consumers, jobs and investors just as hard. Every fine that is imposed should be reciprocated. 

    The US Government should also, but won't, use recent events to make sure the individual countries force the EU to pull back. Want money, want arms? Then stop this BS.

    racerhomie3dewmescstrrfibillKTRdocno42
  • Reply 8 of 98
    williamhwilliamh Posts: 1,032member
    crowley said:
    rob53 said:
    EU is a dictatorship, plain and simple. At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH. The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down. The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. 
    Weird how the EU dictatorship has so many elections.  
    Calling the EU a dictatorship seems way overblown, but still, when did the European public get to vote for the EU Council president?  European Commission president?  How about the European parliament president?  That's right, there aren't public elections for those positions.  

     https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/leadership/presidents_en
    edited May 2022 rob53scstrrfAlex1Nroundaboutnowdoozydozenlongpathiloveapplegeardocno42
  • Reply 9 of 98
    oomuoomu Posts: 130member
    rob53 said:
    EU is a dictatorship, plain and simple. At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH. The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down. The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. 
    "EU is a dictatorship, plain and simple"

    I'm living in EU, France.

    European Union is a whole host of democracy, lots of election, regular change of majority and political sides (NOT like in Russia or China, for example)

    lot of laws to preserve rights for minorities and to protect people (again, not like in Russia)

    and also, the commission is composed by elected governments of the members
    and the European parliament are elected by the whole population

    And what about that proposition of European DIRECTIVE (it's not a law yet, it will need to be transposed and voted in each national states to be "law") ?

    I'm all for it.

    To open market, to force manufactures to cease their "walled garden" is a good thing.

    I'm fond of Apple but it's not to Apple to decide for me if Steam or Epic are bad.

    And yes, I don't care at all : I still want to profit from the good work of Apple (hardware quality, easy to use software and so on), I pay of it, and still to open it as much as possible to make it an always more useful tool for _ME_, not apple, ME.

    the less I need to hack, the more I can have software on my Apple's device, the better that device will be.


    ". At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH."

    you're right, it's time to EU to tell the US to GTH. And replace OTAN by a full militarized European Defense.  Like that, next time a new USA isolationist president insult us , we can answer "okay, great, goodbye". and Putin will not have that silly excuse "but but but but the USA... waAAAAAh !" to justify why he harass us.

    haa..maybe one day :)


    " The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down."

    The UE needs to QUADRUPLE import duties on US goods effectively shutting the US down   (after Avatar 2, 3 and 4 are released, pleased, I love James Cameron :)  maybe we could kidnap him and make him a European citizen ^^,   You know what ? We should kidnap all the good and great American citizens,  okay, it may be a loooot of people... mostly everyone,  but it would be great ! )

    " The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. "

    The UE should also reduce exports to the US and cut off any financial support.

    I mean, there is a lot of agricultural products, hardware, services and luxury products sold to the USA by UE, and you know it's materialism and pollution. By cutting down the US, we could all collectively attain a glorious Golden Spiritual Age ! Less crap, Less sea polluting boats full of goods !

    (yes... it's SARCASM.  Sarcasm from your friendly neighborhood french citizen)

    rotateleftbytenadriellam92103xyzzy-xxxAlex1Nmuthuk_vanalingamdoozydozenmontrosemacs
  • Reply 10 of 98
    oomuoomu Posts: 130member
    williamh said:
    crowley said:
    rob53 said:
    EU is a dictatorship, plain and simple. At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH. The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down. The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. 
    Weird how the EU dictatorship has so many elections.  
    Calling the EU a dictatorship seems way overblown, but still, when did the European public get to vote for the EU Council president?  European Commission president?  How about the European parliament president?  That's right, there aren't public elections for those positions.  

     https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/leadership/presidents_en
    European Commission's members are named by elected government of member states.

    Europe is not federalized like the USA is.

    European parliament is elected by all citizens. The president is just there, like in French parliament by the way, to maintain good order in the institution.

    Also, Europe can't legislate on all aspects of state members's law (for example: immigration, taxes, police, army, and so on).
    There is no need for now for a real federal president like in USA.

    Again and again, we are not Americans. Deals with it.

    In the end, what is important, from your point of view, your interests, your country, the might USA, is still there : we buy tons of Disney Star Wars and Apple has many Apple Stores for us to buy many tons of American Apple Product from the American Apple Company to consume American Great Cultural Content (music, games, movies) and to order online great american products (I don't know.. Dungeon and dragons books ? ) from the American Amazon service.

    See ? We are a great democracy : we consume americans products aaaAAall the day. (I pay my disney+ taxe also). No need to install democracy here, we're good.  No need to be free of nazi by Russia too. We put nazis in jails.

    really, it's nice. don't worry.  We drink american coca-pepsi-cola too. All democracy.
    nadrieldarkvaderAlex1Nmuthuk_vanalingamdoozydozenhucom2000montrosemacs
  • Reply 11 of 98
    GabyGaby Posts: 190member
    rob53 said:
    EU is a dictatorship, plain and simple. At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH. The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down. The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. 
    I live in Europe (UK) and I completely agree with you. Why they want to homogenise everything makes no sense to me. Companies should have every right to differentiate. Being as ideas in themselves cannot be patented and more and more frequently tech companies  as an example copy one another any way they can, differentiating through developing specific hardware and implementations is one of the only protections left. Granted there are huge problems with concentrated wealth but this is not the way to solve this issue in my opinion 
    aronv-opinionlongpathdocno42
  • Reply 12 of 98
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    williamh said:
    crowley said:
    rob53 said:
    EU is a dictatorship, plain and simple. At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH. The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down. The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. 
    Weird how the EU dictatorship has so many elections.  
    Calling the EU a dictatorship seems way overblown, but still, when did the European public get to vote for the EU Council president?  European Commission president?  How about the European parliament president?  That's right, there aren't public elections for those positions.  

     https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/leadership/presidents_en
    So?  The Commission President and the Parliament President are elected by the Parliament, who are elected by the public.  The Council President is elected by the heads of state of all the members, who have also been elected by the public.

    That's representative democracy, even if it's not direct democracy.

    edited May 2022 darkvaderAlex1Nmuthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 13 of 98
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,239member
    williamh said:
    crowley said:
    rob53 said:
    EU is a dictatorship, plain and simple. At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH. The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down. The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. 
    Weird how the EU dictatorship has so many elections.  
    Calling the EU a dictatorship seems way overblown, but still, when did the European public get to vote for the EU Council president?  European Commission president?  How about the European parliament president?  That's right, there aren't public elections for those positions.  

     https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/leadership/presidents_en
    I agree and why I called the EU (council) a (group) dictatorship. This council was not elected by (probably) more than a few representatives and I have to wonder if any of the citizens in the EU actually get to have a voice in what the Council does. --Comments from our European AI commenters??

    The US is actually about the same as the EU Council. Our antiquated electoral college was created to allow slave states to have a voice while at least recently, the majority of US citizens have had to settle for a president elected my a minority of voters. I don't know how twisted elections in Europe are but having a multi-country Council seems to be totally against the separation of countries. Why not just get rid of countries or at least turn them into "states" and actually have elections where all the citizens can vote for their future.
    montrosemacs
  • Reply 14 of 98
    Dictating features and product design (that is not safety related) by a governmental body is ridiculous. Governments generally suck at questions of technology. And last time I checked Apple products are immensely popular as the company has chosen to design them. The ‘walled garden’ is something that I as a consumer has chosen to support. I definitely don’t want the EU or China or the US government for that matter trying to legislate product design and features. It’s a massive overstep. It’s just like the ‘backdoor’ that governments have been trying to manipulate into happening. This proposed law will take away my freedom to choose the product I want. 
    mike1scstrrfslow n easyAlex1NwelshdoglongpathMadbummattinozdocno42
  • Reply 15 of 98
    rotateleftbyterotateleftbyte Posts: 1,630member
    oomu said:

    (yes... it's SARCASM.  Sarcasm from your friendly neighborhood french citizen)

    I'm writing this reply from the bar of a very nice hotel in the department of Morbihan. 
    What the good people on the other side of the Pond need to understand is that "La Belle France" will do whatever is in the best interests of France and to hell what the EU and especially the jerks in Brussels might want them to do.

    If they don't like an EU-wide law then they'll ignore it. They have as the cops might say, 'form' in that matter.
    For example, If the French does not want Hormone laden USDA beef then you might as well feed it to the fishes on the way across the Atlantic. There is no way that they'll let their people eat inferior quality food to what they can produce themselves.
    The French can be the most stubborn nation on earth.

    As for OTAN/NATO... if Drumpf or DeathSantis gets elected in 2024, there will be a move by the US to leave NATO. Well, I say, good riddance and go and stew in your own tears. Europe is more together militarily than ever thanks to Putin.



    Alex1N
  • Reply 16 of 98
    longfanglongfang Posts: 443member
    crowley said:
    rob53 said:
    EU is a dictatorship, plain and simple. At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH. The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down. The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. 
    Weird how the EU dictatorship has so many elections.  
    To be fair, dictatorship and democracy are not mutually exclusive. Ceaser become dictator by way of senate vote for example.
    longpath
  • Reply 17 of 98
    longfanglongfang Posts: 443member
    crowley said:
    williamh said:
    crowley said:
    rob53 said:
    EU is a dictatorship, plain and simple. At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH. The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down. The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. 
    Weird how the EU dictatorship has so many elections.  
    Calling the EU a dictatorship seems way overblown, but still, when did the European public get to vote for the EU Council president?  European Commission president?  How about the European parliament president?  That's right, there aren't public elections for those positions.  

     https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/leadership/presidents_en
    So?  The Commission President and the Parliament President are elected by the Parliament, who are elected by the public.  The Council President is elected by the heads of state of all the members, who have also been elected by the public.

    That's representative democracy, even if it's not direct democracy.

    Then there’s the elephant in the room where the US President isn’t actually elected by the US public as a whole but a slate of electors.
    tdknoxdarkvaderslow n easyAlex1Nmontrosemacs
  • Reply 18 of 98
    chadbagchadbag Posts: 1,999member


    As for OTAN/NATO... if Drumpf or DeathSantis gets elected in 2024, there will be a move by the US to leave NATO. Well, I say, good riddance and go and stew in your own tears. Europe is more together militarily than ever thanks to Putin.



    No, but OK if you want to believe that.  
    entropysmontrosemacsdocno42
  • Reply 19 of 98
    I suspect this is just a platform fork for Apple. They have the scale and the revenues to do it. So why not just follow the Microsoft compliance tradition and essentially break your product for EMEA. Don’t break it so bad that you lose all your customers who are well locked in, but break it badly enough that there’s a very partial App Store, that there is no payment stack, that there is a messaging variant with limited features. For this season anyway, reduce functionality enough to balance still serving users, but create a distinctly different experience that is limited. Maybe everything comes later to Europe as well.  While you’re doing this, your development team gets to explore potential accommodations, and think about future architecture should the rest of the world follow along. Maybe you can lose 10 to 20% of market, but that doesn’t kill your market.  Then wait and see what North America does. I’m just not sure that Tim Cook is agile enough to execute a strategy like that, otherwise I would assume that is what is coming. 
    dewmeJFC_PAAlex1NDBSync
  • Reply 20 of 98
    waveparticlewaveparticle Posts: 1,497member
    crowley said:
    rob53 said:
    EU is a dictatorship, plain and simple. At this point Apple needs to seriously tell the EU to GTH. The US needs to triple import duties on EU goods effectively shutting the EU down. The US should also reduce exports to the EU and cut off any financial support. 
    Weird how the EU dictatorship has so many elections.  
    Democratic dictatorship. LOL Seriously Russia has elections too. 
    entropyslongpath
Sign In or Register to comment.