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Apple must open iPadOS to sideloading within 6 months, EU says

(arstechnica.com)
380 points rezonant | 1 comments | 30 Apr 24 04:44 UTC | HN request time: 0.316s | source
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kevingadd ◴[30 Apr 24 05:35 UTC] No.40207559[source]▶
I'm genuinely surprised by this. I figured the differences between tablets and phones, combined with Apple's efforts to distinguish between 'iPadOS' and 'iOS', would be enough to get them a win on this point. If the shared app store is part of the problem I wonder if that makes it a liability for any new apple ecosystem to tie into the App Store, like Vision OS for example.
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kvdveer ◴[30 Apr 24 05:49 UTC] No.40207618[source]▶
Why would IpadOS not be held to the same DSA rules as IOS? Apple has applied the same model of gatekeeping (walled garden) to both the iPhone and the iPad. DSA attaches requirements to the gatekeepers if they are big enough.

Software similarity and market positioning don't really come into consideration once the role of gatekeeper has been established.

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threeseed[dead post] ◴[30 Apr 24 05:53 UTC] No.40207638[source]▶
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1. HeatrayEnjoyer ◴[30 Apr 24 06:27 UTC] No.40207830[source]▶
It wasn't arbitrary at all.

>The Commission's investigation found that Apple presents the features of a gatekeeper in relation to iPadOS, as among others:

>Apple's business user numbers exceeded the quantitative threshold elevenfold, while its end user numbers were close to the threshold and are predicted to rise in the near future.

>End users are locked-in to iPadOS. Apple leverages its large ecosystem to disincentivise end users from switching to other operating systems for tablets.

>Business users are locked-in to iPadOS because of its large and commercially attractive user base, and its importance for certain use cases, such as gaming apps.

>On the basis of the findings of the investigation, the Commission concluded that iPadOS constitutes an important gateway for business users to reach end users, and that Apple enjoys an entrenched and durable position with respect to iPadOS. Apple has now six months to ensure full compliance with the DMA obligations as applied to iPadOS.