Supporting a policy or a regulation which looks at just competition with zero incentives to care for users because it may help the portfolio is not a good look. People may argue otherwise, but DMA exists to make sure the gatekeepers lose market share to their rivals, even if it comes at the expense of consumers.
Eg: Google asked to remove maps from their search page, which means a user has to do extra clicks to get to the info they want. Bad experience yes. And now, they still did not lose market share so EU is asking google to do more.
I am not against the spirit of the act, but their goal is to listen to competition and ask for changes accordingly. If it screws up users, so be it. There would be no winning. Yes, google search is a monopoly, and should not be so big. The act is unbalanced.
A lot of proponents of iMessage example miss out that WhatsApp won outside of USA. By just building a better product and utilizing network effects.
> DMA exists to make sure the gatekeepers lose market share to their rivals, even if it comes at the expense of consumers.
It sounds like you're not very familiar with the DMA. Most of the regulations have direct benefits to both consumers and developers. From the consumer side, it permits me to:
* Install any software I like, including software Apple doesn't like. For the longest time Apple wouldn't let me install Microsoft xCloud. It was only after the DMA that the loosened this restriction. Ditto for emulators. They still forbid many apps focused on gambling, porn, and cryptocurrencies.
* Install any App Store and choose to make it default. I can choose a default browser now. Soon I will be allowed to choose a default navigation software. It's INSANE that this was locked down until the DMA.
* Use third party payment providers and choose to make them default. Why should I be forced to use Apple Pay?
* Use any voice assistant and choose to make it default. Siri is the worst of all personal assistants. Why can't I use another one?
* User any browser and browser engine and choose to make it default. The fact that Apple forces everyone to use WebKit in 2025 is nothing other than a farce.
* Use any messaging app and choose to make it default. I am currently forced to use Apple's SMS app.
* Make core messaging functionality interoperable. They lay out concrete examples like file transfer.
* Use existing hardware and software features without competitive prejudice. E.g. NFC. A focus area for the Commission is cloud backup. Apple currently doesn't permit the use of competing cloud backup provides, or one's own, for that matter. iOS can only be backed up to Apple servers, and other apps on a per-app basis.
* Not preference their services. This includes CTAs in settings to encourage users to subscribe to Gatekeeper services, and ranking their own services above others in selection and advertising portals
* Much, much, more.
This is before we have explored the various ways the DMA improves the competitive landscape. Apple is clearly abusing their dominant market position to block competition. This is always bad for everyone except the one company in the dominant position.
I did not mention apple in my comment. And what you wrote does not contradict what i wrote.
If they truly started with customers, perhaps we can agree that having to click another site to get to a simple one line answer is wrong. Thats why people prefer LLMs, they get the answer without having to click to multiple sites. But it's good for competition. In cases where customers and competition is at odds, ideally the law should favor customers. Except in EU, it favors competition. Customers dont have a seat at the table, competition does.
> I did not mention apple in my comment. And what you wrote does not contradict what i wrote.
I believe it does. You wrote that the DMA is intended to make gatekeepers lose market share, "even if it comes at the expense of consumers." Clearly this is coming at the expense of no consumers. On the contrary. This is a major improvement to way we use these essential products. I provided concrete examples of the iPhone that I use. This is a major win for consumers across the EU. It's also a major win for competitors. The only company it hurts (ever so slightly) is Apple and a handful of other trillion dollar companies, and I think they'll be just fine.
As for "intending" to make gatekeepers lose market share, one could argue that all anti-competitive laws "intend" to make market abusers lose market share. We still consider anti-competitive laws a net good for the market and society.
Strange to use WhatsApp and "utilizing network effects" as part of your rhetoric. Haven't they been commonly used to harm users?
And to address your general argument, I don't think bad UX can be put in the same category of harm as monopolistic market manipulation. Of course you can have the most integrated, slickest, most clairvoyant apps if you're Google. They have the money, data and access for it. And you could justify walled gardens for this but not abuse of monopoly. It's unbelievably shortsighted to do so.
We should not pay more to Google/Apple to do less clicks, they use the same logic to make it difficult to cancel or stop paying for things. You seem to be confused about what screwing up users mean.
So, after the first round of compliances, they did a review of the changes and did meetings with the likes of Yelp etc. This led to the next round of changes.[1] I am for the changes, just that I think you should also look at it from user perspective too, especially when what the user wants vs the competitor wants is conflicting.
I am not against the spirit of the act, but their goal is to listen to competition and ask for changes accordingly. If it screws up users, so be it. There would be no winning. Yes, google search is a monopoly, and should not be so big. The act is unbalanced.
A lot of proponents of iMessage example miss out that WhatsApp won outside of USA. By just building a better product and utilizing network effects.