It’s time to cast our eyes back at the year that was and see how things shook out for Apple.
2024 is fast fading behind us and thus, as is our custom, it’s time to cast our eyes back at the year that was and see how things shook out for Apple.
A lot has happened to the company over the past twelve months–not all of it to Apple’s liking. As Apple has gotten larger and larger, it’s found itself increasingly in the crosshairs of governments, not to mention its equally weighty competitors. While the company remains wildly successful from a financial standpoint, it’s struggled somewhat when it comes to its vision of the future. In short, there are definitely cracks puncturing Cupertino’s traditionally invincible image.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and see the stories that shaped Apple’s 2024.Continental drift
If there’s one story from 2024 that is likely to have an outsized impact on Apple’s existence going forward, it’s the company’s clashes with the European Commission. This came to a head in 2024 as Apple was forced to comply with the region’s Digital Markets Act and release a substantial platform update that allows for third-party app distribution on iOS and iPadOS.
Apple continues to throw its weight around, sometimes using its bully pulpit of notarizations for reasons that would seem to go beyond the stated intentions of platform safety and security.
And yet, as simple as that sentence seems, the reality was anything but cut and dried. Apple did its darnedest to comply with the letter of the law but still keep its traditional App Store model on top, even as the EC attempted to enforce the spirit of its rules. The result has been an uneasy stalemate: yes, third-party app stores are currently available in the European Union, but they haven’t had a big impact yet. And Apple continues to throw its weight around, sometimes using its bully pulpit of notarizations for reasons that would seem to go beyond the stated intentions of platform safety and security.
The story’s hardly at an end, either. A preliminary ruling from the EC in June deemed that Apple was not in compliance with the DMA, with a final decision to be handed down in March of 2025.
