Colibrinyc
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Apple appeals against EU mandate that it freely share its technology
Maybe Apple feels that they have superior first-party technology to offer to their users. Maybe they don't give a damn about consumers who don't buy their products. Maybe Apple, Google and MS have not taken the time to agree to a single shared BT + WiFi technology or don't find it important enough. Maybe Apple believes that since it is not a monopoly in Europe that the EU should not mandate what they can and cannot do with each and every bit of their IP. Maybe they object to the moving target of European demands and have decided that they can't win no matter what they do. Maybe they've decided that it would hurt Europe more to lose Apple than the other way around. Who knows? If they're unhappy with Apple and its products, Europeans can exercise a bit of agency and choose from myriad alternative smartphones. Alternatively, Europe could build its own damn ecosystem. They managed to do it with AirBus, so why not smartphones?avon b7 said:
Then why has the iPhone never (AFAIK) supported the Bluetooth file transfer profile?Colibrinyc said:John Gruber makes a good example on Daring Fireball. AirDrop is not an industry standard but a piece of Apple IP that they use to differentiate their offering from other industry players. Why should they be forced to share that tech with other manufacturers or software developers? Why should they be forced to open low level processes to third parties?
The vast majority of consumers - Europeans included - just want a well made and secure smartphone. We buy iPhones because of their quality construction and privacy/security differentiators and with knowledge of its "walled garden." Apple has <25% market share in Europe, so it's nowhere near the dominant (or monopolist) OS or hardware manufacturer. I don't see a lot of European consumers screaming for change, and there are plenty of Android-based options here, more so than in the US. What exactly is the EU trying to protect its citizens from here? How are European consumers being actively harmed by Apple?
It would seem that the EU would be better off creating the economic and regulatory conditions that would encourage and allow European companies to develop their own OSes, hardware, etc. While that will take time, simply targeting Apple isn't going to accomplish that. Apple has enough problems dealing with Trump in its primary market, so it will probably just result in the loss of features and functionality for European consumers.
Something that has been around for years.
The reason is clear. That is an interoperable direct file transfer method but is not in the interest of Apple's lock in mentality.
