According to Bloomberg, Apple’s iPad has been added to the roster of electronic devices subject to the EU’s DMA regulations. Together with Safari, iOS, and the App Store, iPadOS has been formally named as a gatekeeper under the DMA by the European Commission. According to the group, consumers are essentially “locked-in” to Apple’s iPadOS ecosystem, which makes it difficult for them to move to rival products. The business has six months to implement the different preventive measures.
This comes after a lengthy assessment into whether iPadOS meets the requirements for gatekeeper software, which lasted many months. “iPadOS is a crucial platform that numerous businesses depend on to connect with their clientele,” stated Margrethe Vestager, the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for competition policy. “Today’s ruling will guarantee the preservation of contestability and fairness on this platform as well.”
What does Apple have to do to ensure iPadOS compliance? According to the DMA, gatekeepers are prohibited from favoring their own services over rivals and from locking users into the ecosystem. The software must also allow third parties to interoperate with internal services, which is why third-party app stores are becoming a thing on iPhones in Europe. The iPad, presumably, will soon follow suit. In other words, the DMA is lobbing some serious stink bombs into Apple’s walled garden.
In a statement published by Forbes, Apple said it “will continue to constructively engage with the European Commission” to ensure its designated services comply with the DMA, including iPadOS. The company isn’t exactly pleased, however, and has accused the legislation of creating “new privacy and data security risks.” To that end, Apple has issued a legal challenge to the EU’s General Court in Luxembourg, with hearings set to take place later this year.
In happier tablet news for Apple, the company recently announced an event for May 7 to showcase new iPads. We’re likely to see an OLED iPad Pro and new iPad Air, in addition to updated peripherals.
