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by andix 2 days ago
It's totally fine that Apple doesn't release this feature for EU customers. If they think they can still sell enough phones it's also fine I guess.

What's not fine, is to blame the EU for the missing feature. It's damaging their brand and damaging their reputation. Just think about if Porsche would make a press release and calling the US tariffs "un-American". Wouldn't be perceived well either.

3 comments

You know what would also damage their brand?

Fancois Normal installing a 3rd party AI service which turns out to have zero security and actively just harvesting private data.

Tell me which company in your opinion would be in the LOUD headlines, Apple or the random 3rd party?

> Tell me which company in your opinion would be in the LOUD headlines, Apple or the random 3rd party?

The world I want to live in is not the one where apple claims responsibility for every byte of my data which passes through their products.

I think web browsers are a nice comparison here. Chrome added some nice security features (e.g. safe browsing) which are broadly a good thing for reducing harm from websites, but at the same time if you go to a dodgy website and they harvest all your personal details no one blames chrome for that.

No doubt AIs are an interesting use case because of the sheer volume of personal data involved, but if I want to trust some other AI app like gemini or chatGPT with my data then why should I be restricted from doing that?

Sorry, Apple has to be dragged, kicking and screaming to allow app store alternatives, that they charge offensive amounts for "to ensure your security" and has Draconian review rules on the App Store "to ensure your security".

Sure, 3rd party will get some shit. But if Apple neither protected me on their App Store _or_ on the app stores that they extort, what the fuck is their racket for? As long as Apple keeps this behaviour, they deserve to have their cornflakes pissed in.

yeah that must be why Apple is so careful about restricting access to the same data when it is synced onto a Mac oh wait they aren't
You actually think that "syncing onto a mac" is the same as sending the data to a completely unvetted 3rd party cloud?
"I own data that may be stored on Apple's servers. Apple's operating system syncs that data to my local computer in a secure fashion. Apple's operating system exposes low-level APIs that allow other applications to access that data. I can install third party applications. Those third party applications can access that data and may exfiltrate it to an unvetted 3rd party cloud."

Your turn smart guy: Am I talking about iOS or MacOS?

Apple can only allows EU-based alternatives. Then the data protection is solely in hands of the EU commission and their vetting and regulation.

Problem solved. Next question?

> Just think about if Porsche would make a press release and calling the US tariffs "un-American".

Like this? https://www.thestreet.com/automotive/bmw-ceo-has-blunt-new-m...

I can't find the problematic statement. Off course the tariffs are a threat to the financial success of German car manufacturers, and they need to keep their investors updated.

The DMA is also threatening Apple's high profit margins. That's the whole point of the DMA.

Surely the point is competition, growth and a higher quality of life?

Or is it actually a crusade against margin?

It is multiple things at once. It's a typical antitrust law, to increase competition. Enough competition usually leads to lower prices and lower margins.

One thing it isn't for sure: "a crusade".

By who? The only US people who seem to like the tarrifs are the ones front running trades on their announcement.
Such political statements never damage the brand for every citizen, but for some.

Tesla is a good example. Elon Musk became political and anti-EU, which resulted in an irreparable damage of the Tesla brand in Europe. Not for everyone, but a big group of people would never again consider buying a Tesla. As a result Tesla lost market share in Europe.

Apple seems to be on the same path now.

More like EU became anti-Musk. And Tesla had great sales in the first half of 2026 in the EU.
Lol, no. Tesla might have "great sales", but other manufacturers grow faster.

edit: here are some stats https://eu-evs.com/marketShare/ALL/Groups/Bar