Lilbits: EU orders Apple to open up iPhone and iPad key technologies to competitors

The European Union is telling Apple that, in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act, the company needs to allow competing device makers and app developers to access core iPhone and iPad technologies including peer-to-peer WiFi connection, NFC, proximity-triggered device pairing, AirDrop, AirPlay, and media casting.

Apple isn't particularly happy about any of that, but European regulators say that it's an antitrust measure meant to level the playing field for competitors. We'll see what Apple's eventual compliance looks like – the company has a track record of responding to EU regulations with tactics like scare screens telling users why they shouldn't take advantage of new features like support for third-party app stores. And even if Apple does comply with all of the new requirements, it's unclear if any of them will be available to users outside of the European Union.

Apple's Airdrop is one of the technologies that the company could be forced to open up to competitors.

Here's a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.

The European Union is ordering Apple to open up some of its core technologies to make it easier for competitors to develop phones, headsets, and other accessories that are more interoperable with iPhones and iPads. ec.europa.eu/commission/p…

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— Liliputing (@liliputing.bsky.social) March 19, 2025 at 5:34 PM

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE and FE+ leaks point to a 10.9 inch, 2304 x 1440px and 13.1 inch, 2880 x 1800px tablets with an S-Pen, Exynos 1580 processor, and 8GB + 128GB or 12GB + 256GB RAM/storage options.

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— Liliputing (@liliputing.bsky.social) March 19, 2025 at 1:49 PM

Google didn't put a Linux terminal app in Android to let you run a full-blown Linux desktop. But it won't stop you from installing one. Instead the idea is to allow more Linux apps, utilities, and games to run on Android.

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— Liliputing (@liliputing.bsky.social) March 18, 2025 at 4:34 PM

MINIX Z150-Aero is a (modest) update to the Z100-Aero mini PC. It's a small, actively cooled computer with an Intel N150 Twin lake processor, triple-display support, and dual LAN (1 GbE + 2.5 GbE). Available now for $230.

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— Liliputing (@liliputing.bsky.social) March 19, 2025 at 1:51 PM

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