Is Apple getting pushed around by the EU really a good thing?

Nearby Share on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
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Beyond the Alphabet

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Beyond the Alphabet is a weekly column that focuses on the tech world both inside and out of the confines of Mountain View.

This year has been one of the weirder ones if you're in the Apple camp, as the company has made a few surprising decisions and announcements. The first of which was the eventuality of Apple making it possible to sideload apps onto your iPhone, without solely relying on the App Store. Then, we saw USB-C come to the iPhone 15 lineup, something that should have been done years ago but had not yet come to fruition. Finally, and more recently, Apple announced that it would be adopting the RCS standard sometime next year.

But, there's one recurring theme when it comes to all three of these announcements, and it's not because Apple is doing it out of the kindness of its heart. For years, Apple has been dealing with insurmountable pressure from other companies to basically "lower the walled gardens." However, instead of Apple moving at its own exhaustingly slow pace, these companies have run to the European Union to essentially force Apple into these changes.

Google Messages on iPhone 15 Pro Max surrounded by different Android phones

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On the one hand, we can all be excited that USB-C is now common across all new and relevant smartphones. And, we can all rejoice that Android users will finally be able to send high-res images and videos to iPhone users via RCS without being lambasted into oblivion.

At some point, we have to ask ourselves whether Google and others writing letters to the EU to get Apple to play along is really a good thing. In certain aspects, this is what governing bodies are supposed to do, especially when it's something that benefits the end user. But, take one look at the recent Nothing Chats/Sunbird debacle and it should become apparent that Apple might just be onto something with keeping its walls where they are at.

OnePlus Open vs. Pixel Fold

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Something I've complained about over the past few years is that there simply isn't enough competition in the flagship phone segment. Why? Because various governments got involved, for better or worse. In terms of national security, it's probably for the best, but it doesn't change the fact that outside of Samsung and Apple, there isn't much competition.

Using foldable phones as an example, I couldn't be more excited to see the likes of Google and OnePlus challenge Samsung. But, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to look beyond the confines of the North American borders to see that Samsung has been dealing with pressure in other markets for years.

The OnePlus Open is the perfect example, as it's nothing more than a rebranded Oppo Fold N3. Oppo doesn't sell its phones here in North America, so in order to make any kind of impression, it had to rely on its OnePlus subsidiary in order to do so.

All of this is to say that those of us here in North America have already seen what happens when a government makes a final decision that affects the smartphone market. To me, it almost feels as though history is repeating itself, albeit, much faster than it probably should be.

Google's new fictional "iPager" reveal, part of its #GetTheMessage campaign.

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Google has been begging, pleading, and trying to take potshots at Apple whenever it can. The whole #GetTheMessage campaign is fun, and witty, and lets Google flex its marketing muscles. Then, after the "message" fell on deaf ears for literally years, it wasn't until Google "ran" to the European Commission to complain about Apple's unwillingness to adopt the platform that something actually happened.

As a quick aside, Google didn't even bring end-to-end encrypted RCS group chats to the masses until earlier this year. This is the drum that Apple is proud to keep beating when it comes to iMessage, as these have always been end-to-end encrypted. It's been this way since the inception of iMessage all the way back in 2011.

To be very clear, I'm not advocating that Apple should have held its ground. At the end of the day, it's one of those things that Apple has been overly stubborn about and will benefit everyone with a smartphone. I would even argue that simply adopting RCS isn't enough, as the "blue bubble vs. green bubble" stigma will remain a problem for years to come.

What happens if every time companies band together and petition the EU to make Apple do something it doesn't want to? With the exception of sideloading, which is a whole nother can of worms, adopting RCS and USB-C is fairly tame, but it might just be setting a precedent that stunts innovation.

iPhone 14 with Android logo on its back instead of Apple logo.

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Unfathomable amounts of money are thrown into the R&D departments of these tech companies in an effort to try and bring new things to users every year. There might be something that's in the works right now that we've been wanting, and all it takes is one decision by a governing body acting as an "overlord" to throw it all away.

Then, what would even be the point of innovating? Do we really all just want to see Apple adopt everything that Android phones already offer? We're already living in a world where slab phones have reached their collective peak, save for a few minor things here and there. Personally, I don't want to see a smartphone market full of phones that are all practically identical, just with a different company's logo slapped on the back.

I'm probably being a bit too dramatic, but it definitely feels as though this is where the market is heading. Apple says no, companies can't convince them otherwise, so then the EU gets involved and says, "You have to by this date." Rinse, and repeat. In 2023 alone, the EU is 3-3 in getting Apple to comply, but we don't know what else might be coming down the pipeline. And frankly, I'm not sure that I want to know what might be next on the chopping block.

Andrew Myrick
Senior Editor — Smartphones (North America), Chromebooks & Tablets

Andrew Myrick is a Senior Editor at Android Central. He enjoys everything to do with technology, including tablets, smartphones, and everything in between. Perhaps his favorite past-time is collecting different headphones, even if they all end up in the same drawer.

  • joeldf
    Yes. If those "features" are really choices the company makes so they can make more money from those features and not, as Apple fans love to parrot the company line, is somehow "innovative".

    Nothing Apple has done in the past 10 years has been really "innovative". So nothing the EU has imposed has actually stifled anything.
    Reply
  • fuzzylumpkin
    If they don't like EU regulation, they are welcome to withdraw their products from the EU market.
    Reply
  • Mooncatt
    Government interference rarely results in progress. I get wanting a standard cable, but I've looked into that law and how it would affect things aside from smartphones. At best, "it's complicated." For example, there doesn't seem to be any clarification on if it applies to devices where a battery is charged externally, as is often the case with cameras. Cameras are included in the regulation, but the way it's written looks like they are assuming cameras have non-replaceable batteries as well (they don't).
    Reply
  • fuzzylumpkin
    Mooncatt said:
    Government interference rarely results in progress. I get wanting a standard cable, but I've looked into that law and how it would affect things aside from smartphones. At best, "it's complicated." For example, there doesn't seem to be any clarification on if it applies to devices where a battery is charged externally, as is often the case with cameras. Cameras are included in the regulation, but the way it's written looks like they are assuming cameras have non-replaceable batteries as well (they don't).
    Cameras are a bit of a niche product these days,so forgive my ignorance. How is it a bad thing if they have a USB-C port?


    It's been a while since I read through it, but from my memory it only covers devices that operate as a single unit, so a camera with a removable battery wouldn't be affected...It would only mean that a camera where the battery is designed to be charged within the camera would have to be chargeable via USB-C. Which again, I can't see how that's bad.
    Reply
  • bradavon
    Honestly I think all this EUphobia stems from Americans just not used to not getting their own way.

    Yes it's a good thing, Not every country with view something like Americans do. Apple literally isn't being pushed around and I just don't think there'd be this response if the US government did the same.

    Quit it with the unconscious bias. Literally only Americans view this as a bad thing. The USA isn't the world.

    I'm probably being a bit too dramatic, but it definitely feels as though this is where the market is heading. Apple says no, companies can't convince them otherwise, so then the EU gets involved and says, "You have to by this date."
    This is a twist on reality. The EU is enforcing fair practice on to a company known for not playing fair.

    They literally did the same to Microsoft, and still are, in the 1990s.
    Reply
  • bradavon
    joeldf said:
    Nothing Apple has done in the past 10 years has been really "innovative". So nothing the EU has imposed has actually stifled anything.
    Exactly. Apple largely stopped innovating when Jobs passed away.

    Their ARM laptop architecture being the exception.
    Reply
  • Mooncatt
    fuzzylumpkin said:
    Cameras are a bit of a niche product these days,so forgive my ignorance. How is it a bad thing if they have a USB-C port?


    It's been a while since I read through it, but from my memory it only covers devices that operate as a single unit, so a camera with a removable battery wouldn't be affected...It would only mean that a camera where the battery is designed to be charged within the camera would have to be chargeable via USB-C. Which again, I can't see how that's bad.

    I was discussing this in a camera forum and the concern was primarily over existing cameras and grandfathering. Pentax (What I shoot) currently sells several cameras that either do not use USB-C and/or don't have the ability to charge in camera. From my understanding, the way this law is written does not distinguish between cameras with sealed batteries (which is rare because battery changes are often needed in the field), and those that charge outside the camera. There is also no clear grandfather clause for existing devices still being sold. If not grandfathered, it can lead to a lot of e-waste.


    bradavon said:
    Honestly I think all this EUphobia stems from Americans just not used to not getting their own way...

    ...and I just don't think there'd be this response if the US government did the same.

    I'm guessing you're not from the U.S, because there would be just as much, if not more pushback against a law like this. For one, USB cables are weak compared to dedicated charging cables of the past. When I got my first phone prior to the days of smartphones, the charging cable would last almost forever. There was also universal standards back then so you could still buy aftermarket cables if need be. Now with USB-C, I'm replacing a cable 2 to 3 times a year because the wires break internally.

    Aside from the camera problems, another is that this law will apply to laptops. Gaming laptops require more power than USB-C can provide. To get around this, they are giving laptops another couple years or so to comply, with the expectation that USB cables will just automatically be improved to handle that much power. That's a big assumption that is going to risk killing a decent segment of the laptop market if it doesn't happen.

    I kind of eluded to this in my first post, but the law in general looks like the people that wrote it believe all electronic devices work the same as smartphones, with low powered sealed batteries. If this were in the U.S, there's a big chance it would wind up in the court system over these sorts of issues with it, and rightly so without changes in the language. Ambiguity in a law can make it unenforceable here.
    Reply
  • fuzzylumpkin
    Mooncatt said:
    I was discussing this in a camera forum and the concern was primarily over existing cameras and grandfathering. Pentax (What I shoot) currently sells several cameras that either do not use USB-C and/or don't have the ability to charge in camera. From my understanding, the way this law is written does not distinguish between cameras with sealed batteries (which is rare because battery changes are often needed in the field), and those that charge outside the camera. There is also no clear grandfather clause for existing devices still being sold. If not grandfathered, it can lead to a lot of e-waste.




    I'm guessing you're not from the U.S, because there would be just as much, if not more pushback against a law like this. For one, USB cables are weak compared to dedicated charging cables of the past. When I got my first phone prior to the days of smartphones, the charging cable would last almost forever. There was also universal standards back then so you could still buy aftermarket cables if need be. Now with USB-C, I'm replacing a cable 2 to 3 times a year because the wires break internally.

    Aside from the camera problems, another is that this law will apply to laptops. Gaming laptops require more power than USB-C can provide. To get around this, they are giving laptops another couple years or so to comply, with the expectation that USB cables will just automatically be improved to handle that much power. That's a big assumption that is going to risk killing a decent segment of the laptop market if it doesn't happen.

    I kind of eluded to this in my first post, but the law in general looks like the people that wrote it believe all electronic devices work the same as smartphones, with low powered sealed batteries. If this were in the U.S, there's a big chance it would wind up in the court system over these sorts of issues with it, and rightly so without changes in the language. Ambiguity in a law can make it unenforceable here.
    You may have misunderstood what's going on here, there is nothing in this law that says a proprietary connector cannot be used for charging, only that it must also be able to charge through USB-C. My current laptop has USB-C ports that it can charge through but it also has a 150 watt barrel connector charger. Most gaming laptops from the last four or five years have the same setup and are already compliant.


    I know it may be a bit difficult for an American to understand that a government can do something to actually benefit its people, but in Europe that is actually fairly common practise.The sky is not falling..


    Your point about old mobile phone chargers is specious. How long ago was it that you were able to use a proprietary cable to charge a mobile phone? 15 years ago? And there was no universality I could not charge my Nokia phone at a friend's house if they had a Sony Ericsson.
    Reply
  • Mooncatt
    fuzzylumpkin said:
    You may have misunderstood what's going on here, there is nothing in this law that says a proprietary connector cannot be used for charging, only that it must also be able to charge through USB-C. My current laptop has USB-C ports that it can charge through but it also has a 150 watt barrel connector charger. Most gaming laptops from the last four or five years have the same setup and are already compliant.

    When I was discussing this on the other forum, which included EU users questioning this, there was no mention of the possibility of dual charging options. From what I remember of reading the law, there was no mention of it as well, and the general consensus from all (including the EU members) was that USB-C was going to be the only allowable connection. After all, the purpose of the law was claimed to be aimed at reducing waste, and allowing a secondary connection would go against that. If you can point me to language suggesting otherwise, I'll take another look.


    I know it may be a bit difficult for an American to understand that a government can do something to actually benefit its people, but in Europe that is actually fairly common practise.The sky is not falling.

    I can't tell if this is meant to be a veiled insult or not, so let's just leave it at the fact that governments around the world are not known for being benevolent, and that the desire for power has corrupted many. All government actions should be looked at with a healthy dose of skepticism.

    Your point about old mobile phone chargers is specious. How long ago was it that you were able to use a proprietary cable to charge a mobile phone? 15 years ago? And there was no universality I could not charge my Nokia phone at a friend's house if they had a Sony Ericsson.

    The phone I had used a fairly standard barrel connector. Not every phone used the exact same size, but it's not like every phone had its own unique connector, and it wasn't hard to obtain one here even without regulating them. If the aim of such laws are to reduce e-waste, I would suggest going back to a dedicated power port like those. Like I said, the cables lasted much longer than any USB-C cable, which goes hand in hand with that ideology. Leave the USB cable for the occasional data transfer, where usage will be minimal and not require frequent replacements.
    Reply
  • bradavon
    Mooncatt said:
    For one, USB cables are weak compared to dedicated charging cables of the past. When I got my first phone prior to the days of smartphones, the charging cable would last almost forever. There was also universal standards back then so you could still buy aftermarket cables if need be. Now with USB-C, I'm replacing a cable 2 to 3 times a year because the wires break internally.
    This just isn't reality for USB cables in general.

    I've never had that and I've bought cheap and expensive cables, only time is when I've mistreated the cable.

    Mooncatt said:
    Aside from the camera problems, another is that this law will apply to laptops. Gaming laptops require more power than USB-C can provide. To get around this, they are giving laptops another couple years or so to comply, with the expectation that USB cables will just automatically be improved to handle that much power. That's a big assumption that is going to risk killing a decent segment of the laptop market if it doesn't happen.
    It won't come in until the tech is ready.
    Reply