The tug of war between Apple and the European Commission continues to develop chapters of a story that seems to have no end. Now, the EU has once again put the Californian company in the spotlight, this time focusing on the integration of accessories into the iPad. The technology giant has already had to adapt to multiple regulatory requirements in Europe, but the latest measure could change the apple tablet ecosystem.
The latest measure by the European Commission, under the framework of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), could force Apple to open the door to third-party accessories with the same level of integration that it offers to its own products.
Inexpensive iPad accessories
This would mainly affect the Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard Folio, in addition to the AirPods, which would be seen as smart pencils and keyboard cases manufactured by third parties, at much cheaper prices, they would have the same functionalities than those developed by Apple, so there would be no reason to pay the high cost of the original products of the Californians.
Let’s remember that the Apple Pencil has a price that is above €100, while third-party options, although with fewer functionalities for the moment, start at €20. If this conflict resulted in Apple having to accept a greater degree of functionality from these third-party products, we would see sales of the Apple Pencil, among others, fall enormously, as a result of an increase in demand for cheaper alternatives.
The conflict began in April 2024, when the European Commission designated iPadOS as a “closed” platform. This status implies that Apple must abide by certain obligations to promote a fair competition and limit the dominance and monopoly of their systems. According to the DMA, closed platforms must offer equal access to developers and third-party devices. In the case of iPadOS, that means allowing third-party accessories, such as headphones and smart pens, to take advantage of the same advanced features as official products, such as AirPods and Apple Pencil.
Apple will lose a lot of sales
Apple has already taken some measures to comply with the regulations in iPadOS 18, the latest version of its operating system, allowing the installation of alternative app storesknown as “application markets”, and giving the option to choose a default web browser other than Safari. This marks a major change for a company, known for its closed and controlled ecosystem.
But although iPad users will now be able to choose alternative stores and browsers, the authorities’ focus has shifted to accessory interoperability. The European Union requires that Apple allow devices such as headphones and smart pens from third parties work fully on iPadOS. This point remains a hurdle, as although the iPad is compatible with a range of accessories, advanced features such as automatic device switching and pressure sensitivity remain exclusive to AirPods and Apple Pencil.
Apple must demonstrate to the European Commission that its compatibility with third-party accessories complies with the aforementioned regulation. If not, it could face million-dollar sanctionsas exclusive features for their official accessories are considered anti-competitive. We will have the final decision in a year.
