Tile, a manufacturer of Bluetooth trackers, is worried about its future. The reason for this is Apple's upcoming AirTags and related business practices. Now the EU Commission is also supposed to help.
Tile is a small Bluetooth tracker that can be attached to handbags, jackets, wallets, or other items to help find them if lost. Apple's AirTags can do practically the same thing – only arguably better. This is due, however, to the fact that AirTags are deeply integrated into iOS. Tile feels attacked. The Cupertino-based company accuses it of abusing its market power and is hoping for help from the US Congress. A corresponding lawsuit has been pending since January. Now, Tile has also turned to the EU Commission and is demanding an investigation. Specifically, Apple's business practices should be examined more closely, as they are "highly anti-competitive." While Tile was initially allowed to market its products in the Apple Store, they were eventually removed from the product range. At the software level, changes were made in iOS 13 that make using Tile products with an iPhone significantly more difficult. Now, the Financial Times, according to which Tiles' letter was delivered to European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on 26 May. It states:
Apple comments on the allegations
"Over the past 12 months, Apple has taken several steps to completely disadvantage Tile, including by making it difficult for consumers to use our products and services," said Kirsten Daru, Tile's general counsel, in the letter seen by the Financial Times.
"This is particularly concerning because Apple's actions come at the same time that Apple has launched a new FindMy app that competes even more directly with Tile and is also preparing to launch a competing hardware product."
Basically, Apple is deliberately restricting Tile in order to be able to better market its own product, which has not yet been introduced - the AirTags. Of course, Apple has already reacted and made the following statement:
We vigorously reject Tile's allegations of anticompetitive behavior against us. Consistent with the critical path we've been on for over a decade, we implemented additional privacy protections last year that protect users' location data," Apple responded. "Tile doesn't like this decision, so rather than argue the merits, they have instead chosen to launch meritless attacks.
It is doubtful whether Tile will actually be successful in the end. Nevertheless, the whole thing remains exciting. If you want to find out more about Apple's upcoming AirTags, I recommend our big summary on the topic - enjoy reading. Anker discount campaign: Save up to 25 percent on security cameras, headphones, speakers and more. The discount ends on May 31, 2020. (Photo by rstavila / Bigstockphoto)
