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The EU has not declared that Android gatekeeps headphone technology, so the comparison to Pixel Buds is totally irrelevant. There is no interop requirement plac

The EU has not declared that Android gatekeeps headphone technology, so the comparison to Pixel Buds is totally irrelevant. There is no interop requirement placed on them.

isodev 1y ago
So Apple is welcome to divest AirPods into a separate company and problem solved. Who knows, "AirPods Inc" may discover there are a great many phone brands out there that could use a nice integration and extra features. Win for consumers.
- littlecranky67 1y ago
  I agree, the Beats takeover should have never happened. The US is basically allowing everything to be swallowed by big-tech.
  - ch4s3 1y ago
    > the Beats takeover should have never happened. I agree from a business perspective, those headphones were all brand and a bad fit for apple from a quality perspective. Do we really need regulators deciding when businesses are wasting their money?
- tomalbrc 1y ago
  [flagged]
- davemp 1y ago
  Or you know Linux/Windows PCs that would definitely be a big win.
- numpad0 1y ago
  That's literally the Boeing model
- nisegami 1y ago
  I wish this would happen. I loved my AirPods Pros 2 but the Android/Windows support was so abysmal that I eventually ditched them.
- wtcactus 1y ago
  So, the problem is indeed the EU.
  - melesian 1y ago
    On the contrary, the EU is the solution.
- ch4s3 1y ago
  The integration works so well because airpods and apple phones use a protocol that isn't bluetooth, their "Magic protocol". You have to own the whole stack to make it work so well.
alextingle 1y ago
So all Apple needs to do is stop gatekeeping headphone technology.
- Thorrez 1y ago
  What is the definition of gatekeeping technology?
  - Y-bar 1y ago
    In Apple’s case it mostly means that the API:s Apple use for the AirPods use should be available for others to also use. Apple is not allowed to deny or punish headphones from other manufacturers that want to use those API:s.
    - bilbo0s 1y ago
      This is not quite the problem. There are multiple issues at play. The two main issues are: 1 - Sometimes processing is done in private cloud servers for complex translations. Apple is not allowed to do that for EU users. Full Stop. Even if it were not prohibited by EU law, you still have issue 2. 2 - It's unclear whether or not Apple can charge. If another dev uses the APIs, and it triggers a call to the cloud, who pays for the inference? Until Apple gains clarity on that, charging could be considered "punish"-ing a dev for using their APIs. My own opinion? Issue 2 they will get worked out, but it won't matter because I don't think the EU will move at all on issue 1. I think they see data privacy as serving a twofold purpose. One, protecting their citizens from US surveillance. ie-National Security. And two, part of their long term strategy to decrease the influence of US tech firms in the EU. Both of which I think European policymakers and European common people feel are critical to Europe.
      - legacynl 1y ago
        They can design the API in such a way that you can provide your own interference solution, or just disable the cloud interference. This is purely a business decision.
      - 1y ago

The EU has not declared that Android gatekeeps headphone technology, so the comparison to Pixel Buds is totally irrelevant. There is no interop requirement placed on them.

isodev 1y ago

So Apple is welcome to divest AirPods into a separate company and problem solved. Who knows, "AirPods Inc" may discover there are a great many phone brands out there that could use a nice integration and extra features. Win for consumers.

littlecranky67 1y ago
I agree, the Beats takeover should have never happened. The US is basically allowing everything to be swallowed by big-tech.
- ch4s3 1y ago
  > the Beats takeover should have never happened. I agree from a business perspective, those headphones were all brand and a bad fit for apple from a quality perspective. Do we really need regulators deciding when businesses are wasting their money?
tomalbrc 1y ago
[flagged]
davemp 1y ago
Or you know Linux/Windows PCs that would definitely be a big win.
numpad0 1y ago
That's literally the Boeing model
nisegami 1y ago
I wish this would happen. I loved my AirPods Pros 2 but the Android/Windows support was so abysmal that I eventually ditched them.
wtcactus 1y ago
So, the problem is indeed the EU.
- melesian 1y ago
  On the contrary, the EU is the solution.
ch4s3 1y ago
The integration works so well because airpods and apple phones use a protocol that isn't bluetooth, their "Magic protocol". You have to own the whole stack to make it work so well.

alextingle 1y ago

So all Apple needs to do is stop gatekeeping headphone technology.

Thorrez 1y ago
What is the definition of gatekeeping technology?
- Y-bar 1y ago
  In Apple’s case it mostly means that the API:s Apple use for the AirPods use should be available for others to also use. Apple is not allowed to deny or punish headphones from other manufacturers that want to use those API:s.
  - bilbo0s 1y ago
    This is not quite the problem. There are multiple issues at play. The two main issues are: 1 - Sometimes processing is done in private cloud servers for complex translations. Apple is not allowed to do that for EU users. Full Stop. Even if it were not prohibited by EU law, you still have issue 2. 2 - It's unclear whether or not Apple can charge. If another dev uses the APIs, and it triggers a call to the cloud, who pays for the inference? Until Apple gains clarity on that, charging could be considered "punish"-ing a dev for using their APIs. My own opinion? Issue 2 they will get worked out, but it won't matter because I don't think the EU will move at all on issue 1. I think they see data privacy as serving a twofold purpose. One, protecting their citizens from US surveillance. ie-National Security. And two, part of their long term strategy to decrease the influence of US tech firms in the EU. Both of which I think European policymakers and European common people feel are critical to Europe.
    - legacynl 1y ago
      They can design the API in such a way that you can provide your own interference solution, or just disable the cloud interference. This is purely a business decision.
    - 1y ago