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Xiaomi has built its name by mimicking Apple’s ideas, but recently, it’s come up with a few tricks I’d love to see Apple borrow. First, it wowed us with the sleek look of its 15 Ultra phone. Now, it’s teasing a cool concept that could inspire an awesome Apple Camera Lens add-on for iPhones.

My iPhone is my go-to camera. Why? It’s always in my pocket. A few years back, it even became my main camera for trips. Sure, I still grab a standalone camera for special photo outings or unique destinations worth the extra gear. But Xiaomi’s latest idea might just bridge the gap perfectly.

Smartphone cameras have tiny sensors and small plastic lenses, which limit their quality. Xiaomi’s fix? A real camera lens with a big sensor that snaps onto your phone magnetically. You’d still use the built-in lenses for quick shots, but for top-notch photos, this add-on turns your phone into something like a lightweight mirrorless camera—smaller and easier to carry than a separate one.

Simon Hill from Wired tested a working version and loved it. He tried a Xiaomi 35-mm f/1.4 lens paired with a 100-megapixel sensor—way bigger than anything in phones today. It has a flexible aperture, perfect for dim lighting. Hill said it attached like a MagSafe wallet and felt like using a real camera, with sharp results to match.

It comes with an autofocus motor—just tap the screen to pick your focus. Plus, there’s a physical ring for hands-on adjustments. In Pro mode, it worked as smoothly as the phone’s regular camera, letting Hill focus on objects near and far for a soft, natural background blur. We don’t know if Xiaomi will sell this lens, but I’m sold on the idea. Imagine Apple teaming up with Nikon, Canon, or Sony to make one for iPhones. It’d be a game-changer for phone photography!

We’ve been using smart home gadgets for a long time—over ten years. I wasn’t around for the super early stuff like X.10, but I got into HomeKit as soon as it arrived in my part of the world. Still, a recent hassle with something as basic as swapping out a dead light bulb showed me how much work is left before regular folks will embrace this tech.

A few days ago, one of my Philips Hue bulbs stopped working. It was pretty old—maybe ten years—and had been moved between lamps a few times, so I wasn’t shocked it gave out. No big deal, I figured. I’d grab a new one, pop it in, and be back in action fast. The bulb showed up. I opened the Home app, picked the room, hit the “+” button, and chose “Add Accessory.” A window popped up asking me to scan a code.

I sort of remembered scanning a barcode last time, but now it wanted a QR code. I aimed my phone at the tiny QR code on the bulb. The app tried hard, flashing little white boxes all over the screen, but nothing worked. I got super close—still no luck. I pulled back—nothing.

The bulb came in a twin-pack with a quick-start guide, but it only had one QR code. I tried scanning that. Same problem. At this point, I sighed, dug out the Hue app, plugged the bulb into the lamp, and let that app find it before adding it to Home. It worked, but it hit me: I’ve never had a smooth, simple setup with smart home stuff. It’s always a struggle—like I need to bribe the tech gods to make it cooperate.

This is the mess Apple’s HomeKit was supposed to fix but hasn’t. If Apple wants everyday people to jump into smart homes, it’s got to sort this out. They know it’s an issue, too. Years ago, a patent showed they’re thinking about devices that set themselves up—you’d just say “yes” to finish it. Imagine cameras using Apple’s smarts to map your house, spot your couch or stove, name the rooms, and hook up your gadgets automatically.

Picture this: You plug a new bulb into your living room lamp. The system goes, “Oh, this is in the living room lamp that used to be ‘Living Room Table Lamp.’ I’ll name it that and add it to your setups.”

Or if it’s a new lamp, it might say, “This looks like a dining room floor lamp—sound good? Want it in your other scenes?” Apple could start with its gear, but they should also share this idea with the Matter standard folks. They’ve done nice things like that before, like with MagSafe and Qi2. If they pull this off, swapping a smart bulb could finally be as easy as screwing in a regular one.

Spotify’s top boss, Daniel Ek, isn’t pleased with how Apple is handling the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). In a chat with Bloomberg, he took a swing at Apple, urging EU officials to crack down on the tech giant soon. Ek insists it’s high time “to make sure the rules stick” against Apple. Bloomberg’s Samuel Stolton reports:

Ek called Apple’s efforts to follow the DMA a “joke.” He accused the iPhone maker of dragging its feet and finding ways to avoid fully cooperating with the law, which puts tight controls on big tech companies.

“Europe needs to prove it’s serious about enforcing the rules already in place,” Ek told Bloomberg on Tuesday. He also pointed out that regulators in the U.S. are starting to pay closer attention to Apple’s actions.

The EU has already shown it’s unhappy with Apple’s first attempts to follow the DMA. Talks are likely underway about whether Apple should face bigger penalties.

Stolton adds: “EU competition boss Teresa Ribera has promised a decision on Apple’s DMA follow-through by late March. The law lets her slap fines as high as 10% of Apple’s yearly global earnings.”

Things have shifted a bit politically since then, though. With the U.S. President now pushing back against such moves, it’s uncertain if the EU will keep pressing Apple. Spotify and Ek have been vocal supporters of tougher rules on Apple for a while, so this latest nudge to the EU isn’t shocking. Still, Ek’s fresh complaints might stem from worries that the EU could drop the ball and let Apple off the hook.