According to foreign media reports, Apple is planning to spin off the App Store in the next few weeks to provide EU users with a "side load" function to adapt to the EU's upcoming Digital Market Act (DMA).。

It is understood that "side loading" is the behavior that users can install apps directly from third-party sources without going through the official app store.。After this adjustment, Apple users in the EU can download applications through the unofficial App Store, with a different degree of openness.。

Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, once said: "Side loads are the best friend of cybercriminals," but now they must accept this reality。The company needs to complete the adjustment by March 7 this year or face a fine of up to 10% of its annual turnover。

In March 2022, the European Union officially announced the Digital Market Act, which aims to create a fair and healthy playing field and reduce the power of so-called gatekeepers, thereby providing more choices for individual users and creating more opportunities for business users.。

On the basis of the bill, Apple, Google, Amazon and other large technology companies have become "gatekeepers" (gatekeeper), not to abuse their dominant market position to suppress or acquire competitors, nor to lock users in their own ecology, not to allow forced bundling of pre-installed software, not to allow restrictions on the use of a particular app store, messaging programs must be interoperable with other products, etc.。

Allegedly, the above-mentioned companies need to restrict the integration of personal data files from different sources, allow users to install applications from third-party platforms, and do not prevent consumers from uninstalling pre-installed programs, etc.。In the case of Apple, for example, the company has always insisted on the closure of its app store to protect the safety and privacy of users.。After the bill is enacted, Apple will need to open the iOS app store, enable iMessage to communicate with Android, and more.。Therefore, the provisions of the bill are not a small impact on the business models of these giants.。

Apple revealed that the change will separate the EU's App Store from other regions, and the Apple App Store will be split into two versions, one covering all EU member states and the other covering the rest of the world.。

It can be seen that Apple's move is not the same as the attitude towards USB-C, intended to alarm the market, nor a change in the previous mode of operation, the trend will be sideways in the global market liberalization, but only to adapt to the new EU regulations, to retain this key market.。After all, the App Store generates huge revenue each year through the "Apple Tax" and is Apple's cash cow.。

Apple's previously released App Store Transparency Report 2022 shows that there are more than 1.78 million apps on the shelf, with an average of more than 600 million weekly visits and 700 million weekly downloads, a record 1 in 2022 alone..$1 trillion in revenue, up nearly 30 percent from the previous year。

Different percentages for companies of different sizes are fundamental to Apple's App Store's revenue。Although the industry has been questioning Apple's 15-30% high draw and Apple has made some adjustments, the rule is still a threshold that developers can't get around。

However, there is still a degree of uncertainty about the above adjustments。Because Apple has previously filed a lawsuit over third-party app stores, it has also corrected the number of app stores it actually operates in the EU; and it has also noted in its report to the EU that Apple's business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected if the commissions it receives from the App Store were reduced.。

In view of this, Apple will wait for the opportunity to move or happy shot, but also need to continue to pay attention to。

However, in addition to the spin-off of the App Store, Apple is also facing other pressures。The Commission is likely to solicit feedback from competitors and customers this month, or more stringent regulation and scrutiny of Apple's actions.。

Japan will also introduce regulations this year that will require a group of tech giants to open third-party app stores to curb their dominance of the Japanese market.。The content covers four main areas: app stores and payments, search, browsers and operating systems.。Japan's Fair Trade Commission will be able to fine Apple and Google for violations。If the current anti-monopoly law is used as a template, the amount of the fine will generally reach about 6% of the business income in question.。