EU says to drop antitrust probe into Apple

EU competition regulators said Saturday they will drop an antirust probe into Apple after the US computer giant eased restrictions on programming tools and cross-border warranties for the iPhone.

The European Commission said it would close its investigation after Apple recently changed its policies making it easier for users of the hugely popular iPhone to get repairs under warranty in an EU country other than where it was bought.

The European Union's antitrust watchdog said Apple had also lifted restrictions limiting independent developers' flexibility to develop applications for the iPhone, which regulators had feared would hurt competition.

"Apple's response to our preliminary investigations shows that the Commission can use the competition rules to achieve swift results on the market with clear benefits for consumers," said EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia in a statement.