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Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

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Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#191

Post by trosi »

bhnmmhmd wrote: post #183
ensignavenger wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can buy a Nest Thermostat from any of thousands of websites and it would work just fine in my home. I can't even get a Steam Link app for free from anyone and have it work effortlessly on my iOS device. These two are not the same, no matter which side you are on.

Given that Apple - as a private company - is the owner of iOS, no one can blame them for what they wish to include/exclude from their ecosystem. A mistake many people make these days is they think just because some services are so prevalent and worldwide, they ought to be under control of the law and government. The same thing happens when people complain about Google/Amazon/Facebook for their policies. They're priva…

Google was fined for $2 billions in Europe for promoting their own services in search results. You could argue that Google search is theirs and they can do whatever they want with it, but luckily since they are a big player (close to being the only one in search) there are antitrust laws that prevent that.

Apple is in a similar positon. A lot customers depend on iOS devices and I am not sure Apple should be allowed to exclude competitors from the App Store at its discretion.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#192

Post by ballenf »

ensignavenger wrote: post #153
tramGG wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Amazon will stop selling Nest smart home devices, escalating its war with Google" http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-wont-sell-nest-product... Sounds like the same behavior. Google has been known to replace whole other start-up services or de-list them.

I can buy a Nest Thermostat from any of thousands of websites and it would work just fine in my home. I can't even get a Steam Link app for free from anyone and have it work effortlessly on my iOS device. These two are not the same, no matter which side you are on.

But if you've paid for Amazon Prime then Amazon has become a platform similar your iPhone.

Just like you can buy a cheap secondary phone for Steam Link, you can join another company's "free shipping membership program" to buy your Nest (or just pay shipping or get it locally, like you said).

Regardless, I think the distinction is less clear than you make out.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#193

Post by Karunamon »

stephenr wrote: post #162

I commented two hours ago asking for the URL to be set to the canonical one not the amp one. It’s been upvoted at least 40 times, but appears at the bottom of the comments and is collapsed-by-default. What’s the deal, HN?

Probably because it's off topic meta noise, like complaints about paywalls. You'd probably be better served by emailing hn@ycombinator.com.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#194

Post by emodendroket »

013a wrote: post #182
emodendroket wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Alright, then how about removing Adblock from their stores? Android is a little better, but it's by no means totally free.

You can install android apps or chrome extensions from any source, not just the Google-managed store. This sounds minor, but its absolutely a major reason why the stores aren't monopolies. I find it startling how few people on HN remember the fact that stores have a right to decide what they want to sell and not. We don't live in communist Russia. Walmart doesn't have to sell Whole Foods-branded food, H&M doesn't hav…

If you're willing not only to download sideload apps but also to modify your device so you can have root access, then it works. So not really different from Apple.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#195

Post by bhnmmhmd »

zeveb wrote: post #187
bhnmmhmd wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that Apple - as a private company - is the owner of iOS, no one can blame them for what they wish to include/exclude from their ecosystem. A mistake many people make these days is they think just because some services are so prevalent and worldwide, they ought to be under control of the law and government. The same thing happens when people complain about Google/Amazon/Facebook for their policies. They're priva…

> Given that Apple - as a private company - is the owner of iOS, no one can blame them for what they wish to include/exclude from their ecosystem. Apple may own their property, but iOS-device owners own their devices, and Apple have no right to prevent them from running the software they wish to run on the devices they own.

I refer you to read Apple's Software License Agreements carefully. They're here: https://www.apple.com/legal/sla/

Specifically it states: " The software (including Boot ROM code, embedded software and third party software), documentation, interfaces, content, fonts and any data that came with your iOS Device (“Original iOS Software”), as may be updated or replaced by feature enhancements, software updates or system restore software provided by Apple (“iOS Software Updates”), whether in read only memory, on any other media or in any other form (the Original iOS Software and iOS Software Updates are collectively referred to as the “iOS Software”) are licensed, not sold, to you by Apple Inc. (“Apple”) for use only under the terms of this License. Apple and its licensors retain ownership of the iOS Software itself and reserve all rights not expressly granted to you."

If a person has agreed to these terms, I don't see how they can complain about Apple's policies in the future. The same software that isn't owned by the person, but is Apple's, now refuses to run Steam Link. The person who agreed to such terms had it coming, you can't blame Apple for that.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#196

Post by lostmsu »

jakelazaroff wrote: post #167
dnomad wrote: post #55

People who go on and on about the Google and Amazon "monopolies" -- which only benefit consumers with low prices and expansive services -- this is what actual monopolistic behavior looks like. Apple controls access to a significant share of the mobile application industry and it directly abuses that market power to harm customers by reducing competition and artificially raising prices. Apple is being sued in both US…

Given that iPhones account for just 35% of US mobile phones [1] and only around 15% of phone shipments worldwide [2], this is in no way monopolistic. [1] https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/13/ios-and-samsung-market-sha... [2] https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/05/02/apples-iphone-buc...

IMO, it is time to redefine monopoly. Something, that affects a billion of users should not be let policing things like this.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#197

Post by 013a »

emodendroket wrote: post #194
013a wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can install android apps or chrome extensions from any source, not just the Google-managed store. This sounds minor, but its absolutely a major reason why the stores aren't monopolies. I find it startling how few people on HN remember the fact that stores have a right to decide what they want to sell and not. We don't live in communist Russia. Walmart doesn't have to sell Whole Foods-branded food, H&M doesn't hav…

If you're willing not only to download sideload apps but also to modify your device so you can have root access, then it works. So not really different from Apple.

You don't need to get root on an android device to sideload apps, unless the app has specific functionality that requires root. You don't need to break anything about the system or your warranty. Its just a toggle in the settings menu.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#198

Post by Spivak »

signal11 wrote: post #150
matwood wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is, but the way the Apple app store rules work is that if you are purchasing something for use in the current app, it must go through the IAP API and give Apple their cut. Purchases for things outside the app (like physical items) are fine. The way this works with Amazon, is in the Amazon store app a user can buy ebooks/audiobooks (along with anything else Amazon sells), and then those books are sent to the Kin…

If anyone at Apple is reading this, this creates ridiculously bad UX for iOS users. Search for a book on Google. Click on an Amazon Kindle Search result. The Amazon iOS App launches and tries to find the book, realizes it's a Kindle result, launches Safari to show the result. So the was trasitioned from Safari -> Amazon -> Safari pretty much because of petty politics from Apple. And all for what? A happy Kindle user…

This policy isn't to drive users to iBooks. It's to drive Amazon to implement Apple's IAP for a sweet 30% cut of all purchases.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#199

Post by braythwayt »

bhnmmhmd wrote: post #183
ensignavenger wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can buy a Nest Thermostat from any of thousands of websites and it would work just fine in my home. I can't even get a Steam Link app for free from anyone and have it work effortlessly on my iOS device. These two are not the same, no matter which side you are on.

Given that Apple - as a private company - is the owner of iOS, no one can blame them for what they wish to include/exclude from their ecosystem. A mistake many people make these days is they think just because some services are so prevalent and worldwide, they ought to be under control of the law and government. The same thing happens when people complain about Google/Amazon/Facebook for their policies. They're priva…

In the last century, the deciding factor about a company's freedom to do whatever it wants has always been strongly influenced by national security concerns and by monopolistic concerns.

The degree to which iOS is or isn't a "monopoly" has a lot to do with how much freedom Apple has to make decisions like this.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#200

Post by stephenr »

Karunamon wrote: post #193
stephenr wrote: post #162

I commented two hours ago asking for the URL to be set to the canonical one not the amp one. It’s been upvoted at least 40 times, but appears at the bottom of the comments and is collapsed-by-default. What’s the deal, HN?

Probably because it's off topic meta noise, like complaints about paywalls. You'd probably be better served by emailing hn@ycombinator.com.

I mean, the URL was changed, it seems. I was more questioning the ghosting of the comment in spite of upvotes, without any kind of notice/reasoning.

"Troll" comments get removed with an explanation.

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