Pairing “iPhone + Apple Watch” and connecting accessories: Apple faces further legal problems | News

In competition law, a dominant position exists when companies have a “dominant position” in relation to competitors – or when three or fewer companies have a market share of 50 percent and thus functioning external competition is restricted due to collective dominance. As one of the richest and most powerful companies in the world, Apple has long been in a position that makes it possible to quickly hinder competitors at will or prevent them from emerging in the first place. The Digital Markets Act in the EU calls for the tech giants to be shown limits, because they naturally make the most of their influence. Now another issue has emerged that directly affects Apple: compatibility with smartwatches and third-party accessories in general.

USA: Antitrust lawsuit over product tying
In Apple’s home country, they are already one step ahead on this point – in any case, the US Department of Justice is taking much tougher action against Apple than is the case in the EU. There, the reason is a lack of compatibility or the lack of compatibility. The pairing of Apple Watch and iPhone is part of an antitrust lawsuit with potentially potential consequences. In the EU, it has so far been considered somewhat more general if more clearly defined rules are introduced within the next few months. Apple has already received a warning in recent days, but this has not yet given any binding specifications as to which requirements must be met for cooperation with accessories.

EU: General approach in work
While the US is more concerned with the fact that an iPhone is required for an Apple Watch, the European requirements are likely to go in both directions – but are more likely to be in favor of manufacturers who offer competing smartwatches. One possible outcome would therefore be that Apple would have to provide interfaces to be able to display information from its own services on watches without the Apple logo. According to the official announcement, the extent to which interoperability between iOS and external products is to be guaranteed will be specified in six months. For smartwatches, the main focus is on notifications, device pairing and connectivity.