Those in the many European countries who want to use Apple's new
gimmicky "AI" features will be out of luck, at last for a while, thanks
to the interference of the brainless red tape pushers who have nothing
actually useful to do.
Apple Intelligence won't launch in EU in 2024
due to antitrust regulation, company says
---------------------------------------------
Apple said Friday it won't release three recently announced
features, including its flagship "Apple Intelligence" AI
product, in the European Union in 2024 due to "regulatory
uncertainties" stemming from the bloc's Digital Markets Act
antitrust regulation.
Apple said in a statement that the features - Apple
Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring, and enhancements to its
SharePlay screen-sharing product - won't be available to EU
customers due to Apple's belief "that the interoperability
requirements of the DMA could force us to compromise the
integrity of our products in ways that risk user privacy and
data security."
The EU passed the DMA in 2023, spurred by concerns that a
handful of major technology companies such as Amazon, Apple,
Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, and TikTok parent ByteDance were
acting as "gatekeepers" in preventing smaller firms from
competing. Among other things, DMA requires that basic
functionalities work across competing devices and ecosystems.
The interoperability requirements apply to iPhones and iPads.
But Macs are affected by the DMA because iPhone Mirroring
allows users to replicate the screen of an iPhone on the
screen of a Mac.
The loss of the company's AI product could be a disappointment
to consumers. Apple Intelligence can proofread writing or even
rewrite it in a friendly or professional tone. It can create
custom emoji called Genmoji, search through an iPhone for
specific messages from someone, summarize and transcribe phone
calls and show priority notifications. The company also
announced a partnership with OpenAI and a roadmap to other
models being added to the platform.
Apple shares were largely flat on the news. Apple saw 2023 net
sales of $94.3 billion in Europe, just under a quarter of its
worldwide net sales. Apple Intelligence also won't be available
in Greater China, which accounted for $72.6 billion of its 2023
sales.
The company said it will work with the European Union "in an
attempt to find a solution that would enable us to deliver
these features to our EU customers without compromising their
safety."
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https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/21/apple-ai-europe-dma-macos.html>
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