Apple forced to drastically downgrade iPhone 16 Pro

with iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro LaunchApple has taken its first steps toward the next generation of smartphones, but Tim Cook and his team won’t be able to deliver the benefits to everyone who wants them.

Thanks to the influence of the European Union Digital Markets ActApple has made a bold decision to remove its suite of generative AI software — called Apple Intelligence — from every iPhone in Europe. The company is refusing to release the software to its European user base without clear guidance from the company. Regulatory authorities.

Europe has witnessed Steady iPhone Sales Over the past three years; 56.1 million units in 2021, 56 million in 2022, and 56.8 million in 2023. That’s between half and two-thirds of US sales. The loss of the European market to Apple Intelligence won’t have an immediate impact; the software will support a minimal set of languages ​​when it becomes available, with the first update limited to US English, and parts of the suite delayed until Q1 2025.

However, this decision puts Apple in a disadvantageous position today.

google examples Gemini Artificial Intelligence Samsung Galaxy AE Huawei could go on to collect massive amounts of anonymized user data to improve the product as well as provide continuous software updates to existing software while working on the second-generation software release. Gemini AI was launched with the launch of the Pixel 9 family in August, while the second version of Galaxy AI is expected to launch in January 2025.

Apple can’t do any of this, at least with its user base in Europe.

Generative AI is one of the current driving forces in smartphone purchasing decisions. A recent poll by CNET Studies show that 34% of users have privacy concerns regarding AI. Apple has a strong brand identity built in part on the promise of privacy and is leaning heavily on this to try to differentiate its AI from that of competitors.

Because of the dominant role played by the iPhone and iOS in the European market, the European Union has classified Apple as a GatekeeperIn the EU, Apple must allow third-party companies to work with its services, which essentially means removing the walled garden around these core services and allowing competition and user choice on the platform.

Apple has As mentioned earlier “It is…due to the regulatory uncertainty caused by… [the EU’s Digital Markets Act]“We don’t think we’ll be able to roll out three of these features — iPhone Mirroring, SharePlay screen sharing enhancements, and Apple Intelligence — to our users in the EU this year.”

Is Apple’s AI subject to the DMA’s gatekeeping requirements? If so, this would force Apple to open up iOS to work with other generative AI software solutions, giving users a choice of which AI software they want to use on their personal devices. Apple is seeking clarity on the interaction between Apple’s AI and the DMA, a clarity that has not been forthcoming.

Apple has decided to avoid this problem by refusing to allow AI software to be installed on any iPhone purchased, a radical decision that will be seen by the loyal Apple community as a step down and will leave European iPhones at a disadvantage compared to the Android-powered competition.

Now read the latest iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch headlines from Glowtime in this week’s Apple news roundup, right here on Forbes…