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Apple’s App Store fees are ‘highway robbery’ – House antitrust committee chair

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Re: Apple’s App Store fees are ‘highway robbery’ – House antitrust committee chair

#121

Post by sooheon »

matheusmoreira wrote: post #94
sooheon wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The issue here is precisely that you cannot set up your own internet corner shop and ignore Apple, as that means you have no access to consumers who use Apple I don't understand why businesses are entitled to have access to consumers who use Apple. If you don't want to pay to play on their platform, imagine a world where Apple doesn't exist, and position your business accordingly. Nothing is actually forcing you to…

> I don't understand why businesses are entitled to have access to consumers who use Apple. I don't understand how expecting a computer to just run software became entitlement. Why should anyone need Apple's permission to do anything?

Buy a non Apple device if you don't want to jump through Apple's hoops.

Re: Apple’s App Store fees are ‘highway robbery’ – House antitrust committee chair

#122

Post by belltaco »

sooheon wrote: post #40
altacc wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That choice isn't a real choice though, as it's the consumers' choice to buy an iPhone not the businesses. Businesses only have a real choice about who their customers are when there is free access to the market. The issue here is precisely that you cannot set up your own internet corner shop and ignore Apple, as that means you have no access to consumers who use Apple. Internet distribution channels are inherently o…

> The issue here is precisely that you cannot set up your own internet corner shop and ignore Apple, as that means you have no access to consumers who use Apple I don't understand why businesses are entitled to have access to consumers who use Apple. If you don't want to pay to play on their platform, imagine a world where Apple doesn't exist, and position your business accordingly. Nothing is actually forcing you to…

By that logic shouldn't companies be paying Microsoft for the price of being on Windows too?

Re: Apple’s App Store fees are ‘highway robbery’ – House antitrust committee chair

#123

Post by threatofrain »

altacc wrote: post #29
sooheon wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a ridiculous meme. If you enjoy the mafia's services, don't be surprised if they ask you to pay. But it's your choice to go to them (ask to be put on their platform and sell to their customers). You can make your own internet corner shop, set up payments and distribution, ignore the Apple platform, and never worry about their #mafiatax.

That choice isn't a real choice though, as it's the consumers' choice to buy an iPhone not the businesses. Businesses only have a real choice about who their customers are when there is free access to the market. The issue here is precisely that you cannot set up your own internet corner shop and ignore Apple, as that means you have no access to consumers who use Apple. Internet distribution channels are inherently o…

But is the Apple app store the same thing as the "app market"? If I open a denim store in Spain, is that the same thing as entering the Chinese market? Why or why not? The "market" here isn't the app market but rather just Apple's customers. It also seems like people would be okay if Apple just shut down the app market overall, like that would be "tough luck" to developers and a matter for customers to judge.

An open and borderless web market is the kind of thing that just about every nation is rethinking right now.

Re: Apple’s App Store fees are ‘highway robbery’ – House antitrust committee chair

#124

Post by AsyncAwait »

Barrin92 wrote: post #82
AsyncAwait wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So assuming I do not want my privacy violated, I am simply at the tyranny of the majority?

assuming I don't want to contract COVID because I'm a sick person in the UK, do I need to live free or(and) die by American values because Apple has de-facto replaced a government? tyranny of the majority is scary to you, neglect by the minority is scary to me. What should happen in a reasonable world is that governments maintain sovereignty and that Apple, in particular on software questions (hardware would be trick…

Am actually not from the U.S. and quite far left on the political spectrum, I am not against government regulation where it makes sense at all, I do find it absurd in principle that Apple can essentially supersede a national government, but in practice I find it unlikely that the UK government would be more conscious of my own privacy than Apple and that's saying something as I disdain Apple's practices quite a bit in general.

You seem to assume I am arguing for no tracing at all, but am simply saying I doubt the UK's own technology is better in terms of preserving privacy than Apple's, while achieving the same goal.

Re: Apple’s App Store fees are ‘highway robbery’ – House antitrust committee chair

#125

Post by AsyncAwait »

threatofrain wrote: post #109
AsyncAwait wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So assuming I do not want my privacy violated, I am simply at the tyranny of the majority?

Without considering righteousness, by what might does any small thing secure itself except by tyranny or persuasion?

There might no be any "might" by which a minority can actually protect itself, but that is true for almost any interaction you have where the balance of power is not in your favor.

Laws, at least theoretically, exist so that you're protected in certain situations even if you don't have any actual "might".

Re: Apple’s App Store fees are ‘highway robbery’ – House antitrust committee chair

#126

Post by Razengan »

rydre wrote: post #51
lilyball wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many people who buy Apple products do so because of Apple’s privacy stance. Just because the government wants to violate its citizens’ privacy doesn’t mean its citizens want that.

>Just because the government wants to violate its citizens’ privacy doesn’t mean its citizens want that. If the majority of the citizens want that, then they can outvote their leaders. If the minority of the citizens want that, they either convince the majority to agree, or they keep quit. I haven't bought the iPhone for the privacy stance. Apple is a part of PRISM. There is ZERO % chance that their privacy stance is…

> There is ZERO % chance that their privacy stance is more then a façade.

Do you have a source for that?

Or a reason for us to believe an anonymous persona instead of a corporation that could be held liable if their claims were proven to be false?

Re: Apple’s App Store fees are ‘highway robbery’ – House antitrust committee chair

#127

Post by AsyncAwait »

lozenge wrote: post #115
AsyncAwait wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So assuming I do not want my privacy violated, I am simply at the tyranny of the majority?

Just don't install the app?

That's assuming I don't want to help/participate in tracing at all. What if I am happy to help, assuming I have reasonable belief in my privacy being protected?

I am simply saying that my belief in UK's own, homegrown tech, is less than Apple's/Google's tech, which is saying something as I am no fan of either.

Re: Apple’s App Store fees are ‘highway robbery’ – House antitrust committee chair

#128

Post by Razengan »

rydre wrote: post #90
bad_user wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are you jumping to conclusions on the double standard? Classic whataboutism. No, I don't use Google or Facebook either. And I've been avoiding Microsoft since the '90-ties.

Good on you, I find it hard to be without Google and Facebook however. I instead choose to give my data to both governments of opposing values. Kill the competitive value of my data.

Are you seriously claiming to hold moral high ground while siding with Google and Facebook? If you think it's okay to use them but not Apple, the most benign of the major companies, that people only interact with when they CHOOSE to, your bizarre crusade kind of loses its edge.

Even if one NEVER explicitly uses any Google or Facebook service, they would still be feeding their day to them just by visiting completely unrelated websites.

Apple does a lot more good for people than either of them.

Re: Apple’s App Store fees are ‘highway robbery’ – House antitrust committee chair

#129

Post by Razengan »

rydre wrote: post #35

Anyone who cares about this issue, just upvote, don't comment. HN's algorithm downranks posts where the comment to upvote ratio is too high.

I think HN looks down on gaming their system. Comments like the above should be flagged.

Re: Apple’s App Store fees are ‘highway robbery’ – House antitrust committee chair

#130

Post by AsyncAwait »

rydre wrote: post #74
AsyncAwait wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So assuming I do not want my privacy violated, I am simply at the tyranny of the majority?

No, you convince the majority. If they don't agree then maybe the really are right until you convince them otherwise. Imagine if you want to employ slave labor. The majority today disagrees. Would would still call it the tyranny of the majority?

> If they don't agree then maybe the really are right until you convince them otherwise.

How far back can you take that? Were they right about slavery, the nazis etc.? Or were they somehow magically wrong then, but are right ever since?

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