Microsoft prototype shows Blink engine outperforms Safari by 28.6% on iOS

The performance gap suggests that Apple's technical restrictions may be artificially capping the efficiency of web-based video and applications on mobile devices. For the streaming industry, this monoculture limits the ability to deliver high-performance, browser-based alternatives to native apps, maintaining Apple's control over distribution and monetization. If regulators force Apple to lower transition barriers—such as the requirement to restart user bases from zero for non-WebKit versions—it could trigger a shift toward Blink and Gecko, potentially improving web-based playback performance by double digits. Watch for the European Commission to open specialized proceedings to instruct Apple on removing specific technical and contractual barriers to engine adoption.

The technical results from Microsoft arrive as regulatory pressure on Apple’s browser engine policy expands globally. Japan’s government officially ordered Apple to end its WebKit mandate by December 2025 under the Mobile Software Competition Act, per TechSpot (August 2025). The Japanese legislation specifically targets technical and financial barriers that make alternative engines unworkable, mirroring the intent of Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) but providing more explicit performance standards to prevent 'malicious compliance' strategies.

Despite the DMA being in effect since March 2024, the absence of third-party engines remains a point of contention. Open Web Advocacy (OWA) reported that Safari generates roughly $20 billion annually in search revenue and remains Apple's highest-margin product, creating a $200 million annual revenue risk for every 1% of market share lost, according to OWA (July 2025). This financial incentive is viewed by critics as a primary driver for Apple’s restrictive BrowserEngineKit terms, which current European rules have yet to successfully overcome.

In recent regulatory workshops, Apple executives have argued that and that Google and Mozilla already have the necessary tools to ship competing engines but have simply chosen not to, per MacRumors (June 2026). However, developers maintain that being forced to ship a separate app binary rather than updating existing installations creates an insurmountable hurdle to adoption. As of June 2026, the Italian Competition Authority is the latest regulator to launch an investigation into these practices, signaling that the technical data provided by Microsoft will likely serve as evidence in upcoming antitrust proceedings.