EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has slammed Apple’s decision not to launch its A.I. features in EU, saying it proves the company is “disabling competition.”
Apple is under fire in the EU for its App Store policies, with the company poised to be the first major tech company to be fined under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA requires that Apple allow developers to bypass the App Store, but the company has faced accusations that it has put up roadblocks and made it more costly than it should be for developers to use third-party options.
In the wake of the EU’s investigation of Apple’s practices, the company announced that it would not launch it’s A.I. (Apple Intelligence) features in the EU over regulatory concerns.
Due to the regulatory uncertainties brought about by the Digital Markets Act, we do not believe that we will be able to roll out three of these [new] features — iPhone Mirroring, SharePlay Screen Sharing enhancements, and Apple Intelligence — to our EU users this year.
According to Euractiv, Vestager slammed Apple’s decision at a recent Forum Europa event, saying it was a “stunning, open declaration that they know 100% that this is another way of disabling competition where they have a stronghold already.”
Vestager made clear that companies wanting to do business in the bloc would have to abide by the DMA, something the EU believes Apple is not doing.
“Today is a very important day for the effective enforcement of the DMA: we have sent preliminary findings to Apple. Our preliminary position is that Apple does not fully allow steering,” Vestager said when the EU ruled that Apple was not in compliance with the DMA. “Steering is key to ensure that app developers are less dependent on gatekeepers’ app stores and for consumers to be aware of better offers. We have also opened proceedings against Apple in relation to its so-called core technology fee and various rules for allowing third party app stores and sideloading. The developers’ community and consumers are eager to offer alternatives to the App Store. We will investigate to ensure Apple does not undermine these efforts.”
Apple appears to increasingly be in a no-win position with the EU. The bloc clearly wants the company to fundamentally change how it does business. When Apple chooses not to roll out new features in the bloc to avoid further hassle, that decision is used as further “proof” that the company is anti-competitive.
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