Rui Carmo
In other times, I would consider this a sign of the apocalypse, but in the current context of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), it actually seems likely. Considering I use this almost every day and that there are zero alternatives that actually work (remember when we had to use Bluetooth?), I am hardly amused.
I am even less amused by the fact that the EU has pretty much ignored more widely rampant abuses (off the top of my head, the way TVs are sending out advertising data or the way ISPs do traffic shaping and sell your data) while focusing on a feature that is actually useful and works well.
Yes, Apple could have made AirDrop more interoperable, but the fact is that it works well enough for most people, and the alternatives are either non-existent or worse. The EU’s insistence on interoperability in this case seems more like a power play than a genuine concern for user welfare.
They have two choices:
- Take the ball home and have European customers ask themselves why they should stick to Apple products if they can’t have the same features as everyone else.
- Take the high road and make AirDrop interoperable with other platforms, which would actually benefit users and developers alike.
If I were Apple, I would just publish an SDK and an open spec for AirDrop, and let the market sort itself out. Removing it entirely and failing to take the higher road would be a true sign of rot in Cupertino, and I don’t think they are that far gone yet.