>>12930>Really think the EU would have the balls to do this?It's a unfathomably massive bureaucratic machine (spread out over several cities) that has "buck-broken" much more powerful and systemically relevant companies than Apple, for no other reason than institutional inertia. It'll take a long time but it will crush Apple like a bug, unless there's political intervention, which there likely won't be because Apple is doing luxury. It is
nice to have , but not
need to have. Apple is loaded with cash but not structurally relevant. And Apple has been personally inconveniencing a lot of the politically relevant people with their closed ecosystem Bullshit.
Apple has some political pull because of apple-fanboy aesthetic desire. But apple isn't actually hitting the aesthetics sweet-spot anymore, their aluminum products now feel heavy. Magnesium-alloy and that new type of high-tensile strength stainless steel that can be made almost paper-thin while still being incredibly stiff, that's the new hotness.
Apple isn't just stepping on the toes of the EU government, it's also poking the US government. Which will likely react a lot harsher and break apple in 2. And make it 2 separate companies one for hardware and a different one for software.
<Ban-hammeringSuspending sales of non-compliant apple products until they comply with market regulations will likely work, because that's a immediate measure, while every recourse that apple has, takes time, which means that apple takes the L on profits in the short term, which they probably can't stomach. However this would be a nasty struggle. Ban-hammering of this type only makes sense if the goal is to make room for a European premium handset manufacturer.
If the goal is solely to compel compliance with market regulation the most logical course of action is to respond in kind. Apple is behaving aggressively by means of technical shenanigans. So like the Opening Post says, the most appropriate counter measure is to subsidize iphone jail-breaking services as counter-technical-shenanigans that make Apple products comply with free market doctrine. Tit for tat in the corresponding ideological jargon. There is precedent for this,
the printer-ink cartel was broken by enabling 3rd-party ink-producers to jail-break ink-cartridges. The same can be done for app-producers.