The Gig’s Up, Jobs: EU Law Might Force Apple to Allow Flash and Open iTunes
You’re one of the five people in the civilized world who own a Zune, right? Well, good news – you may soon be able to sync it with iTunes. Seriously. This is a thing. In an attempt to save the world and all its inhabitants, three Mortal Kombatants have been chosen the European Union has drafted up a document it’s calling the Digital Agenda, the function of which is to serve the cause of interoperability, openness, and innovation in the tech world. I, for one, am precisely the opposite of not all for that. Behold, an excerpt:
Since not all pervasive technologies are based on standards the benefits of interoperability risk being lost in such areas. The Commission will examine the feasibility of measures that could lead significant market players to license interoperability information while at the same time promoting innovation and competition.Basically, this means that companies created a walled-garden atmosphere could find themselves getting fingered. Particularly companies that rhyme with Snapple. Should the document find itself approved, Apple may find itself with no choice but to among other things allow Flash onto iOS, and even the syncing of competing media players and smartphones with iTunes. Well, in Europe anyway. But should it happen there, it may quickly follow suit in North America, where we’ve been tightening the reigns on things like this for a bit now, too. This isn’t the first time this sitch has found itself happening – Microsoft found itself waist-deep in poo awhile ago over its bundling of IE and Word with every PC sold. Apple’s just doing that. To the extreme. But this isn’t about punching Apple in the box – this is about creating competition, which some argue is what drives innovation in the tech world. Like, look at the iPad. Look at it. Seriously, look at it. Magical? Yes. Harbinger of innovation? Hardly. Personally, I think this is an issue worth looking into, at the very least. As a purchaser of Apple products anyway, I’m already on the inside and don’t really suffer the effects, as I sit here writing from my Mac Pro, charging my iPod. I’m not fully qualified to comment. But maybe you are! Stand up! He heard! Should the EU be allowed to do this? Does Apple have the right to build its walls ever-higher? Comment box is right there. Take it for a spin, yeah? Just mind the leathers.
@ Jeff, I think you are confusing open source(free) vs opening up(providing an API-Application Programming Interface) .The latter is what this article is talking about. The EU is not forcing Apple to “open source” as you put it. No one can force you to make something open source or in effect,free. But Apple can and should be forced to “open up and document the API” to comply with anti-trust regulations which exist in the US also. By the way, Adobe does provide the API for its Flash software, and that is the reason that there are companies other than Adobe which can make Flash software/files. In fact I’m surprised Apple has been allowed to go this far with such anti-competitive practices, especially in the USA, who should know better. They’ve committed a far worse crime than Microsoft, and Microsoft was taken to court in the US for far less. If anything, this will give other software/hardware companies, most of which are actually US companies, a more level playing field.