The European Union’s ongoing battle against big tech took a turn in October when it announced draft legislation that would stop products from being sold with pre-installed apps - a move that could directly affect Apple devices like the Mac, iPad and iPhone.
If the EU ruling goes ahead, Apple will no longer be able to pre-install apps.
The EU’s Digital Services Act aims to create a level playing field for third-parties, giving consumers the choice over what to install on their devices. The Financial Times says of the EU bill: “The draft suggests that Big Tech may be banned from preferential treatment of their own services on their sites or platforms, to the detriment of rivals, and that companies should not be allowed to pre-install their own applications on hardware devices, such as laptops or phones, or force other companies to exclusively pre-install their software.” This means the App Store could be in the EU’s sights too, especially since Apple and others are already being investigated over anti-trust concerns, and Apple is currently battling Fortnite maker Epic Games in the courts over its App Store policies. Epic has been joined in recent months by Spotify, Microsoft and others in its criticisms of the way the App Store is run. The question now is whether these challenges will be successful, and how long Apple can keep its critics at bay.