Opinion: Does EU's DMA spoil the "Apple Experience"?
In the fall, iOS 18, macOS 15 & Co. will be released in the EU without significant innovations such as Apple Intelligence. Does the DMA do more harm than good?
(Image: Icon: Apple, Montage: Wolfgang Kreutz)
Powerful digital platforms dominate the market, maximize their profits at the expense of users and squeeze out the competition. With the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the EU is taking decisive action to create fairer competitive conditions. Among other things, the DMA requires interoperability between different systems. The already implemented USB-C obligation and the future opening of the NFC chip for other payment services show how beneficial such regulations can be. And Apple is also being influenced by the EU, for example with the introduction of RCS with iOS 18, when I can finally include Android users in group chats in the Messages app and send them high-resolution images without expensive MMS fees.
The GDPR, another EU achievement, has also been putting data-hungry companies in their place for years. Despite controversial details such as the unspeakable cookie banners, the basic idea behind this regulation is correct and important. However, it depends on how it is implemented.
However, Apple will soon put my EU euphoria to the test. Some features announced at WWDC, such as Apple's AI system Apple Intelligence, will not only be denied to EU citizens for the time being, but Apple will actively prevent their use. The company is citing regulatory uncertainties here. This is obviously a clear dig at the EU, as a look at the past shows: Fundamental innovations have in fact already occurred more frequently initially only in the USA - completely without political classification from Apple's marketing department.
The iPhone Mirroring and the improved SharePlay function are a curiosity. Our neighbors in Switzerland can operate their iPhone with their Mac and remotely control other people's iPhones, but not me in Germany. Similar Continuity functions such as AirDrop or the universal clipboard, on the other hand, are available globally.
With the slimmed-down fall upgrades, many Apple customers in the EU will feel like second-class users. Apple is likely to have deliberately factored in this resentment in order to persuade the EU to give in. However, this tactic of instrumentalizing EU citizens as a means of exerting pressure against regulations must not be allowed to work under any circumstances. The long-term benefits of a fair digital market far outweigh the personal restrictions. Then I'll just get some features later.
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