European iPhones are more fun now

Since complaining is a beloved American pastime, I’ll say it too: iPhones are more fun in Europe now. This is not fair.

They’re getting a variety of things. nice Unlike the usual regulators, they are not responsible for third-party app stores, the ability of browsers to run their own engines, etc. Fortnite, And now the ability to replace many default apps? I want that too. Imagine if Chrome on iOS wasn’t just a crappy Safari emulator. Imagine downloading a new dialer app with a soundboard of fart sounds and setting it as the default. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t seem interested in sharing these possibilities with everyone.

But beyond emulators and a reluctant embrace of RCS, Apple seems to be doing the bare minimum to evade regulatory scrutiny. It’s starting to look like the company is selling two types of iPhones: one for Europeans and one that everyone else can buy. This is odd, given that keeping things simple and consistent is Apple’s approach. But the company is so keen to differentiate between the two that it won’t even let you update your apps from third-party app stores if you leave the EU for more than a month.

The question is, isn’t it good business to offer the same choices to everyone, regardless of where they live? Apple isn’t making two iPhones to appeal to different cultural tastes; it’s making one iPhone that’s more flexible and customizable, and one that isn’t.

Perhaps, little by little, Apple will cave in and offer parity as they did with the emulator, but I think the company needs to stop this farce and do something different, to make sure everyone has the same iPhone wherever they are. It would be bold! It would be brave, I would say! But most importantly, it would be a lot more fun.