Apple now has six months to allow rival stores on its tablets after permitting them on its phones.
According to Bloomberg, the iPad from Apple has been included on the list of technological items that are required to comply with the DMA regulations of the European Union. iPadOS, along with the Safari web browser, the iOS operating system, and the App Store, has been officially classified as a gatekeeper under the Digital Media Act by the European Commission. According to the organization, users are essentially “locked-in” to Apple’s iPadOS ecosystem, which discourages consumers from transferring to competitors and makes it more difficult for them to switch. In order to comply with the numerous preventative measures, the corporation has a period of six months.
This comes after an investigation into iPadOS that lasted for several months in order to determine whether or not it meets the criteria for gatekeeper software. According to a letter that was written by Margrethe Vestager, who is the Executive Vice-President in charge of competition regulation at the European Commission, “iPadOS constitutes an important gateway on which many companies rely to reach their customers.” “The decision that was made today will guarantee that fairness and contestability are maintained and protected on this platform as well.”
To ensure that iPadOS is in compliance, what steps does Apple need to take? It is against the law for gatekeepers to favor their own services over those of competitors and to lock customers into the ecosystem, as stated by the Distribution Management Association (DMA). Another need of the software is that it must enable third parties to interact with the company’s internal services. This is the reason why third-party app stores are becoming increasingly popular on iPhones in Europe. If all goes according to plan, the iPad will shortly follow suit. To put it another way, the DMA is throwing some big stink bombs into the walled garden that Apple has created.
According to a statement that was published by Forbes, Apple has stated that it “will continue to constructively engage with the European Commission” in order to guarantee that its designated services, which includes iPadOS, are in compliance with the DMA. The firm, on the other hand, is not exactly delighted with the legislation and has asserted that it will create “new privacy and data security risks.” In order to accomplish this, Apple has filed a legal challenge with the General Court of the European Union in Luxembourg, and proceedings are scheduled to take place later on in this year.
Apple has recently revealed that it will be holding an event on May 7 to display new iPads, which is really positive news for the firm. It is highly probable that Apple will introduce an OLED iPad Pro and a new iPad Air, in addition to improved companion devices.