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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: 0.001s | 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]▶
[flagged]
codetrotter ◴[30 Apr 24 06:05 UTC] No.40207690[source]▶
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_...

They had valid reasons for it.

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threeseed ◴[30 Apr 24 06:08 UTC] No.40207709[source]▶
It doesn't change the fact that it's arbitrary at this point.

There are no rules that are governing what is or isn't a gatekeeper. It's just whatever EC decides that day.

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idle_zealot ◴[30 Apr 24 06:18 UTC] No.40207765{5}[source]▶
The EC decides what the rules for defining a gatekeeper are, they invented the designation. You can call that arbitrary if you want, but they set their rules and are sticking to them. Deciding that iPads and iPhones are the same platform seems pretty common-sense to me.
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1. littlestymaar ◴[30 Apr 24 10:32 UTC] No.40209379{6}[source]▶
> The EC decides what the rules for defining a gatekeeper are, they invented the designation.

It's more complicated than this: the EC has the initiative for legislation in the EU but the text they submit is later amended and voted by both the European Parliament and the Council (representing member states) so it's not true that the EC defines the rules. And both the member states and the European Parliament are pretty jealous of their prerogatives in the decision process so you can be sure that the EC cannot have arbitrary power that bypasses the Council and the Parliament.