LONDON — Apple needs the European Union to repeal its digital competitors rule guide, saying the laws are cumbersome and are delaying new options for Europeans equivalent to reside translation for AirPods.
The European Fee, the 27-nation bloc’s government department, mentioned Thursday that is not going to occur.
“There’s completely no intention from the Fee’s facet to repeal the DMA,” mentioned Fee spokesman Thomas Regnier, referring to the Digital Markets Act.
The iPhone maker outlined its complaints the day earlier than in a response to a session on the DMA, a sweeping algorithm designed to cease Massive Tech firms from dominating markets.
The corporate mentioned “the DMA must be repealed” or scaled again, saying it’s undermining innovation and eroding privateness and safety.
Apple has lengthy opposed the legislation and was one of many first firms to be fined after the foundations took impact final yr, with a 500 million euro ($587 million) penalty in an app retailer case.
Apple mentioned Europeans are being left behind the remainder of the world as a result of it has to spend extra time making an attempt to determine get new options to adjust to the rule guide.
“The DMA requires Apple to make sure options work on non-Apple merchandise and apps earlier than we are able to share them with our customers,” the corporate mentioned in a weblog put up. “Sadly, that requires a whole lot of engineering work, and it’s brought about us to delay some new options within the EU.”
For instance, below the DMA, the reside translation characteristic that Apple unveiled earlier this month to be used with AirPods would additionally should work with wi-fi earbuds from different manufacturers. The characteristic makes use of an iPhone’s on-device AI to translate when different languages are spoken across the particular person utilizing them. Apple says it wants extra work to verify conversations, that are processed on the system, keep non-public if used with non-Apple merchandise.
Different options affected embody iPhone Mirroring with Mac computer systems, and Apple Maps’ Visited Locations and Most popular Routes.
Apple additionally mentioned EU necessities to permit various app marketplaces and cost methods onto iOS expose customers to safety dangers equivalent to on-line scams and malware disguised as video games.
And DMA provisions requiring Apple to adjust to rivals’ request to entry “person knowledge and core applied sciences” creates “critical threat” for its customers, it mentioned.
Apple mentioned it is complying with the laws however requested regulators to take a more in-depth take a look at how they’re affecting Europeans.
At a daily European Fee press briefing in Brussels, Regnier pushed again towards Apple’s complaints.
“Nothing within the DMA requires firms to decrease their privateness requirements, their safety requirements,” Regnier mentioned. “To the alternative, it’s nearly giving our customers extra selection.”
