The support of abusive monopolistic practices around here is something else though. Temporarily-embarrassed-tech-billionaire syndrome is the only explanation.
which abusive practices are you referring to?
If I don't want tight vertical integration, I could easily buy any number of Android devices.
EU regulators want to compromise vertical integration, which means depriving consumers of a legitimate choice many of them make.
You build good alternatives for each of those.
Android is at nearly 70% OS market share: https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/europe/
[I say this as a keen iOS user]
With regard to the idea that Apple should stop selling iOS devices in the EU: https://daringfireball.net/2024/03/eu_share_of_apples_revenu...
But pushing Apple to make iOS available on other phone hardware is a massive undertaking. iOS is developed for a very constrained hardware set. When you move away from that and the optimizations thereof, what's left? It's a major distraction, you'll either get a much worse experience on other hardware, or the general polish and performance of iOS takes a nose dive. I don't see why Apple would spend the money to support this the way it would need to be supported rather than leave.
We're already likely to see hold-back with Apple Intelligence.
But will it be enough for citizens to pressure lawmakers?
Due to the process of law-making in the EU it's very hard for citizens to exert their will on lawmakers.
In the EU, law can only originate from the Commission, which operates behind closed doors, and comprises entirely of unelected bureaucrats (often unpopular former member-state politicians). The Commission then pushes its edicts, repeatedly if necessary, through a "Parliament" of careerist politicians until they approve it.
Here in the UK we tried, and failed, to help the EU to reform its democratic structures and burdens.
Our only remaining option was to leave this political project, and since then, we proved that the sky does not fall within a country that leaves the EU. We have secured a number of trade deals with countries outside the EU, including Japan and Australia, we have seen increased foreign direct investment, sustained low unemployment compared to many EU nations and a stabilising currency.
