European Union Commissioner Margrethe Vestager called Apple’s decision a “striking statement” about the company’s anti-competitive nature!
Apple Intelligence will change the lives of many iPhone users thanks to its features. However, for days, Apple has warned that this transformation will not affect users within the European Union, due to the regulations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). With curiosity, European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager spoke out against Apple’s decision.
Vestager said Apple’s refusal to launch Apple Intelligence and other news announced at WWDC24, such as iPhone screen mirroring in the EU This is a “striking statement” demonstrating how anti-competitive the company is.
For their part, those in Cupertino indicated that these functions would not be available because it would “compromise the confidentiality and security” of their environment, although they maintained that “Apple is committed to working with the European Commission” to release these features in the future.
From Europe, they criticize the fact that Apple does not offer Apple Intelligence functions in this market.
Despite his position, Vestager discussed Apple’s decision in a brief interview at the Forum Europa conference in Brussels. and not as part of an official communication from the European Commission. As indicated:
Apple has said that it will not publish its new features that are enabled in the IRS environment and that it will not do so because of its obligations in Europe. And its obligations in Europe are to be open to competition, which is kind of a shorth and version of the WFD.”
And I find it very interesting that they are saying that we are now going to implement AI where we are not required to allow competition. “I think that’s the most surprising and open statement: They know 100% that this is another way to defuse competition, where they already have a stronghold.”
As per Apple’s decision, iPhone Mirroring and SharePlay Screen Sharing features affecting iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia will initially not be available to residents of European Union countries.
In general, Apple’s reasons relate to the DMA’s guidelines against anticompetitive practices, since Apple Intelligence is a feature the company only offers for iPhones. Currently, the DMA does not require full equivalence of functions. This means that Apple is not required to offer exactly the same options in the EU as in the US, or vice versa.
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