Europe to force Apple to help rivals connect to iOS, iPadOS

The European Commission intends to force Apple to open its walled garden. On Thursday, the EU's executive arm said it initiated "two specification proceedings to assist Apple in complying with its interoperability obligations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA)." By "assist," the commission means "require" – Apple has done …

[DS999]

iOS "interoperability"?

Do they really think they're going to get Apple to license iOS to third party hardware OEMs? Because that's what it sounds like they're talking about.

Apple would pull out of Europe before they'd accept that. They still have the scars from the disaster that was macOS licensing in the 90s.

[Gene Cash]

Re: iOS "interoperability"?

No, but they can publish working and functional APIs.

I remember being stupid enough to buy an iPad 5 years ago and trying to put a PDF on it so I could read it at lunch. Never did get that to work.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: iOS "interoperability"?

You know, if you can't open a PDF on an iPad, you really should think about a change of career. I know it's fashionable on this site to be all "Apple bad, Linux good" but seriously...

[Giles C]

Re: iOS "interoperability"?

The “files” app for iOS was out in 2017 so 7 years ago, and I am sure that it could open pdf files back then, not sure why you would have had a problem?

Open a webpage download the PDF, go to files and click to open the document.

[anonymous boring coward]

Re: iOS "interoperability"?

Did you try tapping on it?

[IGotOut]

Re: iOS "interoperability"?

As above. It means things like not blocking a tracker (e.g. Tile) then selling your own. Or stopping a 3rd party creating an alternative client (say windows) to access iCloud or making an Android device that can communicate over Airplay.

[DS999]

Re: iOS "interoperability"?

When did Apple "block" Tile?

They even worked with Google to come up with an industry standard "find my" API that would work across both iOS and Android, meaning Tile can work with it too if they choose. But that sort of stuff doesn't happen overnight. If they had to come up with the standard API first before they can release any new products, they would probably release a lot fewer products (and create fewer new APIs as a consequence) because doing the API first means you have to get it right the first time - because no doubt the EU would complain if they change the API after third parties had targeted it with products.

[werdsmith]

Re: iOS "interoperability"?

I used Tile for years, since the crowdfunded startup until recently.

Because Apple sold their own - it works with IOS even for non tile users, whereas Tile needs a user running the Tile App. So Tile usage became sparse an dincreasingly less effective.

[DS999]

Re: iOS "interoperability"?

So they made their tracker work better than Tile's, but once they got together with Google and created a standard API all trackers could work like Apple's. Should Apple have not been allowed to make trackers work better because it would decrease Tile's usage?

[werdsmith]

Re: iOS "interoperability"?

It would be good if all phones were able to detect and relay the location of all tracker tags.

All phones with the tile app (iOS or Android) can detect and relay the position of a Tile device. So, it is possible for Tile to be better than Airtag if people adopted the Tile App. But they don't. So the Tile is less likely to be detected than an Airtag where iPhones are popular.

[DS999]

Re: iOS "interoperability"?

If Tile makes their trackers compatible with the new Apple/Google standard (no idea if that requires new hardware or if they can do a software update to what they have) then you no longer need anyone else to adopt the Tile app.

The reason Airtags worked better than Tile the moment they were introduced is because they were supported in the OS, so everyone's iPhone helped track the location of every Airtag. A solution that requires people have to be running a third party app was never going to work as well no matter how popular that third party solution was. Heck even if Facebook had introduced a tracker the number of people leaving the Facebook app running and giving it permission to use bluetooth would have made it much less successful than Airtag.

The combined Apple/Google standard improved things for Airtags, especially in places where iPhones are rare (third world) and but more importantly for you allowed everyone's trackers like Tile's to compete on even footing - they all have access the same worldwide tracking network consisting of all the iPhones and Androids. So if you like Tile better than this made your Tile WAY better than it used to be, without having to hope that more people will run Tile's app (and leave it running, a lot of people close down apps on their phone when they aren't using them)

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: iOS "interoperability"?

@IGotOut

"As above. It means things like not blocking a tracker (e.g. Tile) then selling your own"

Utter bollocks. If you are going to slag something off, best to check you are right before you post...

https://www.tile.com/en-gb/how-it-works

[Charlie Clark]

Re: iOS "interoperability"?

But that isn't what this is about at all. It will be things like graphics acceleration, etc. which Apple currently restricts to its own software.

[DS999]

Re: iOS "interoperability"?

Graphics acceleration works perfectly well for third party apps, and has from day one. Do you think all those third party games are getting the frame rates they do without acceleration?

[Tron]

Cunning plan.

The EU come up with 10 things that Apple won't do, can't do, or which are not possible, and fine them 10% of their revenue for each of them. All that US cash then flows into EU coffers, fixing their economic failings.

[prh99]

Re: Cunning plan.

I don't think Apple would stick around long if the EU went that far. They're in the market cause they see opportunity for profit, if that were no longer possible (like getting fined for things they can't do or aren't possible) their share holders would demand a swift exit.

[jdvv]

Re: Cunning plan.

Why people think that Apple will deny themselves some 94bln USD/year revenue in Europe?

[seven of five]

Re: Cunning plan.

Ohhh.. nononono... Revenue in Europe is only a few thousand Euros, barely breaking even. It is Eire only is making a profit, so this is where the tax comes in. All other countries? Ha, Philantrophy from apple, gracing the Europeans with their devices. Never made any money of thene, nu-uh.

seeee?

[prh99]

Re: Cunning plan.

I was talking exclusively about OP's hypothetical where the EU comes up with a list of things Apple can't do anything about and fining them. It wouldn't take a terribly long list of 10% fines to cancel that 94 billion out.

[anonymous boring coward]

Re: Cunning plan.

A list of 10 things is "terribly long"?

[LybsterRoy]

Re: Cunning plan.

Whilst I have sympathy for your viewpoint remember Hanlon's razor "Never Attribute to Malice That Which Is Adequately Explained by Stupidity"

This looks to me like a law involving technology made by people who just about have sufficient technological ability to flip a light switch.

[Anonymous Coward]

Wormy Apple

Apple is stifling the openness and interoperability of the web, while benefiting from them. The company does not seem motivated contributing to open-source, unless it cements its walled garden.

[Jimmy2Cows]

Re: Wormy Apple

Wow, that's a naive perspective. Not an Apple fan, but they're a for-profit company, so why would they, why should they, contribute anything to open source, never mind things that don't reinforce their business? Why would any for-profit company?

[Charlie Clark]

Re: Wormy Apple

Apple, like many companies, is involved in several open source projects: webkit, CUPS, Swift, FreeBSD to name a few.

The reason is often that it's easier and better to work with an existing open source solution than develop your own. However, it still plays fast and loose, especially with stewardship and bug fixes and releases. Google has a much better track record of engagement in the projects with which it's involved: money and personnel committed to development and maintenance, code analysis, etc.

[Sandtitz]

Re: Wormy Apple

"Apple, like many companies, is involved in several open source projects: webkit, CUPS, Swift, FreeBSD to name a few."

CUPS? Last update to Apple CUPS Github repo was years ago. Apple provided code only when it was relevant to OSX and MacOS. Apple isn't going to provide a single line of code to any project that do not benefit them. Being Open Source it allowed other people to eyeball the code and provide bug reports and bug fixes so less work for Apple.

El Reg in 2020: Has Apple abandoned CUPS, the Linux's world's widely used open-source printing system? Seems so

[Rob Daglish]

Re: Wormy Apple

>Apple provided code only when it was relevant to OSX and MacOS

Yes... In other news, I don't cook tea for next door's kids either...

I'm sure I remember a Business Studies teacher telling me that the aim of a business was to make a profit, I sure as hell don't remember them teaching me at any point that those businesses have to be philanthropic.

[anonymous boring coward]

Re: Wormy Apple

"The web"?

How did this suddenly encompass "the web"?

[Bugsy11]

Home app is DMA compliant

iOS's Home app already supports Matter, the smarthome connectivity standard. What else does Ms. Vesteger want? For Apple to port iWork apps to third party devices?

[Mishak]

Standards

I really think the best way to have open systems is to require platforms to implement (yet to be written) standards, not to force them to open their IP to third parties.

The trouble with that is that standards are often the result of standardising all "current practice", resulting in a standard that all existing players can claim to comply with, with undefined and implementation-defined behaviour* "patching over" the areas where they don't agree. This would require new standards to be written from scratch, taking consideration of best practice and not worrying about compatibility with existing offerings.

* this was used a lot when C was standardised, so that just about all of the C compilers in existence at the time (based on the K&R book) where conforming at publication.

[Charlie Clark]

Re: Standards

I don't think it's easy to develop standards without any form of implementation: this tends to lead to the kind of workable shit that government departments and the military sign off. And this is what largely stymied the continued development of HTML until WHATWG got working and now working implementations are required before things can be adopted.

[Rob Daglish]

Re: Standards

I think it may be my turn to roll out the obligatory XKCD cartoon! I've been waiting for this moment...

https://xkcd.com/927/ - The proliferation of standards

[Manny Bianco]

Would this also require Apple to allow third-party smartwatches to do everything an Apple Watch can do in iOS?

The Apple Watch uses three rings for fitness. I don't know what a Samsung watch does, but if it doesn't use this three rings concept would Apple have to change their own Fitness app to reflect whatever Samsung's watches do?

At what point does Apple get to design and develop its own products to be used with its own products? Do they have to start making phone cases for Samsung phones, too?