USB‑C in iPhone is just the beginning. The EU is setting new requirements for Apple
The European Commission wants Apple to open its ecosystem to competition. Specific requirements have been set.
The iPhone 15, in accordance with new EU regulations, has been stripped of its proprietary Lightning connector in favor of the universal USB-C. However, it is known that this is just the beginning of changes, as the European Commission is currently pushing for the DMA (Digital Markets Act) regulations, intended to increase competition in digital markets.
The new law imposes duties on those digital service providers who have a minimum of 45 million active users in the EU and generate annual revenues exceeding 7.5 billion euros. This includes services from giants such as Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, ByteDance (TikTok), Meta (Facebook), and Microsoft.
How do the new regulations relate to Apple? The matter is complicated, because not all of its services are equally popular in the EU. In early September, company representatives argued that their iMessage communicator is too small to meet DMA's assumptions. However, the same can't be said about other services of the giant.
The European Commission wants alternatives to the App Store and Apple Pay on iPhones
Thierry Breton - European Commissioner for the Internal Market - met with Tim Cook to discuss the details of DMA. As reported by Reuters, the head of Apple heard specific requirements set by the European Commission.
What does this mean for customers? Unless Apple finds a way to bypass regulations or decides to withdraw its products from Europe, iPhone users will gain access to app stores other than the App Store and alternative payment methods for Apple Pay.
From the user's perspective, increasing competitiveness always has its pros and cons. On the one hand, more stores mean more choice and the ability to hunt for lower prices. On the other hand, changes could negatively affect convenience, as some publishers will likely remove their games and applications from the App Store and handle distribution themselves to avoid Apple's commission. As a result, many users will not only have the option, but may actually need to use several virtual stores at once.
