Apple European customers may have to wait a little longer to discover some cool new iPhone tricks. The tech giant announced Friday that it is slowing the rollout of three exciting features in the EU this year. For what? This is all due to tricky new rules.
Delayed features are Apple Intelligence (think super smart Siri), Mirroring iPhone (displaying your phone screen on your Mac) and some fancy upgrades to SharePlay screen sharing.These were due to launch with the next big iPhone update later in 2024, but EU users will have to wait for now.
So what’s the problem ? Apple is pointing to something called the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This is a new set of rules in Europe aimed at preventing big tech companies from becoming too powerful. The DMA wants companies like Apple to play nice with their competitors and share some of their technological secrets.
But Apple is not happy about it. They fear that the law’s “regulatory uncertainties” could put users’ privacy and confidentiality at risk. security in danger. “We are concerned that the DMA’s interoperability requirements may force us to compromise the integrity of our products,” Apple said in a statement. So it won’t bring three of its recently announced features to EU users this year: iPhone mirroring, SharePlay screen sharing improvements, and Apple Intelligence.
The EU, for its part, says it is simply trying to ensure fairness for everyone. They want Apple and other tech giants to play by the rules if they want to do business in Europe. “Gatekeepers are welcome to offer their services in Europe, provided they comply with our rules to ensure fair competition,” an EU spokesperson told Verge.
This isn’t just a minor setback for Apple. Europe is a huge market for them, accounting for almost a quarter of their global sales last year. That’s a lot of iPhones!
Apple, however, says it won’t give up. They hope to smooth things over with EU officials and find a way to bring these exciting new features to European users without breaking any rules or putting anyone’s data at risk.
For now, Apple customers in Europe will have to be patient. The rest of the world will be able to play with these new AI features later this year, while EU users may have to wait until 2025. But who knows? Maybe by then, the features will be even cooler!
Delayed features are Apple Intelligence (think super smart Siri), Mirroring iPhone (displaying your phone screen on your Mac) and some fancy upgrades to SharePlay screen sharing.These were due to launch with the next big iPhone update later in 2024, but EU users will have to wait for now.
So what’s the problem ? Apple is pointing to something called the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This is a new set of rules in Europe aimed at preventing big tech companies from becoming too powerful. The DMA wants companies like Apple to play nice with their competitors and share some of their technological secrets.
But Apple is not happy about it. They fear that the law’s “regulatory uncertainties” could put users’ privacy and confidentiality at risk. security in danger. “We are concerned that the DMA’s interoperability requirements may force us to compromise the integrity of our products,” Apple said in a statement. So it won’t bring three of its recently announced features to EU users this year: iPhone mirroring, SharePlay screen sharing improvements, and Apple Intelligence.
The EU, for its part, says it is simply trying to ensure fairness for everyone. They want Apple and other tech giants to play by the rules if they want to do business in Europe. “Gatekeepers are welcome to offer their services in Europe, provided they comply with our rules to ensure fair competition,” an EU spokesperson told Verge.
This isn’t just a minor setback for Apple. Europe is a huge market for them, accounting for almost a quarter of their global sales last year. That’s a lot of iPhones!
Apple, however, says it won’t give up. They hope to smooth things over with EU officials and find a way to bring these exciting new features to European users without breaking any rules or putting anyone’s data at risk.
For now, Apple customers in Europe will have to be patient. The rest of the world will be able to play with these new AI features later this year, while EU users may have to wait until 2025. But who knows? Maybe by then, the features will be even cooler!
