The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple
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Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple
#2Yes, it's a monopoly, but that doesn't mean it's bad per-se. People are freely choosing to buy iPhones and there are alternatives. If the situation on the App Store was so bad, there wouldn't be enough good apps and perhaps people would choose other devices. No one is forcing any company to publish into the App Store.
Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple
#3Yes, it's a monopoly, but that doesn't mean it's bad per-se. People are freely choosing to buy iPhones and there are alternatives. If the situation on the App Store was so bad, there wouldn't be enough good apps and perhaps people would choose other devices. No one is forcing any company to publish into the App Store.
Good points. In fact, I'm guessing consumers ultimately want the App Store to be a monopoly. It gives us a central place where both devs and consumer can exchange with each other.
Break it up, and then you may hear people complain about how the mobile app marketplace is too fragmented (similar to how video streaming currently is).
Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple
#4Yes, it's a monopoly, but that doesn't mean it's bad per-se. People are freely choosing to buy iPhones and there are alternatives. If the situation on the App Store was so bad, there wouldn't be enough good apps and perhaps people would choose other devices. No one is forcing any company to publish into the App Store.
App Store is a two-sided market, which is known to persist even after it is extremely bad. Users go where apps are, and app publishers go where users are. The circular dependency can be broken by movement en messe, but that doesn't necessarily happen even if the situation is terrible.
Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple
#5Yes, it's a monopoly, but that doesn't mean it's bad per-se. People are freely choosing to buy iPhones and there are alternatives. If the situation on the App Store was so bad, there wouldn't be enough good apps and perhaps people would choose other devices. No one is forcing any company to publish into the App Store.
"No one is forcing any company to publish into the App Store."
Yes Apple is, there is no alternative to the App Store on an iPhone.
Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple
#6Yes, it's a monopoly, but that doesn't mean it's bad per-se. People are freely choosing to buy iPhones and there are alternatives. If the situation on the App Store was so bad, there wouldn't be enough good apps and perhaps people would choose other devices. No one is forcing any company to publish into the App Store.
Apple's cryptographic lockout of unsigned software and refusal to authorize any non-App Store distribution defacto forces people who want to publish iPhone software to agree to Apple's terms. I'd also argue that there are no practical alternatives here. Apple makes an industry-leading smartphone SOC and good operating system software designed to take advantage of it. If you want that, then you are also locked out of unauthorized third-party software unless you use an exploit to compromise the device's security.
Quite honestly, the software lockout business model has been deserving of government scrutiny ever since Nintendo put a lockout chip in the NES. If you own a device you should be able to run any software you want on it.
Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple
#7The article states that Apple is extorting users.
Is Apple forcing anybody to use their services?
Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple
#8Yes, it's a monopoly, but that doesn't mean it's bad per-se. People are freely choosing to buy iPhones and there are alternatives. If the situation on the App Store was so bad, there wouldn't be enough good apps and perhaps people would choose other devices. No one is forcing any company to publish into the App Store.
"No one is forcing any company to publish into the App Store." Yes Apple is, there is no alternative to the App Store on an iPhone.
I think the point is app developers can target other platforms to release their software, they don't have to target iOS.
Part of my confidence in the iOS app store is the fact that Apple controls it so strongly. If they were forced to allow third party apps I doubt I would install any. My phone is too critical a part of my life to risk it.
Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple
#9As a consumer, I am 100% in favor of the way run the app store. I don't want to give random apps my credit card. I don't want to have 18 accounts to keep track of. I don't want to have to call telephone support to cancel my account. I don't want malware in my apps. I don't want apps to have my email if they don't need it. I don't need another middleman for content companies license and distribute. Everything Apple is doing is helping make a better app store for me.
Pro-consumer behavior almost always looks like anti-publisher behavior.
Re: The App Store is a monopoly: Here's why the EU is correct to investigate Apple
#10Apple had the opportunity to lean on the web and elected not to.
With appropriate APIs, web apps can reach into devices and leverage GPU and CPU compute, multiple threads, microphone, camera, on-device storage, and more.
HTML and canvas don't have to be the only UI primitives available.
Both Google and Apple should be forced to fund the W3C and/or Mozilla in leading development of a cross-platform native experience. Other companies such as Microsoft and Amazon should join as stakeholders.
Yes, they should be forced to do it.
Edit: Downvotes already? What's wrong with wanting an open platform? Why do we have to expend effort developing for three different tech stacks (Android, iOS, web) when one is superior and wastes less human capital?
Edit 2: Wow, y'all really don't like this. My other suggestion is that we break up Apple and Google into separate companies so they're divested of their app marketplace from their hardware ecosystem/ad tech funnels. I think letting them work together on an open platform is less destructive and puts the world in a better place, but honestly if they can't do this then they should be broken up.
My representative, Lucy McBath, did a great job grilling the tech execs this week, and I continue to support her in breaking apart these unfair monopolies.
Edit 3: If you believe Apple is entitled to reap 30% from controlled access to their generic compute device, then you also should favor cable and internet service providers charging whatever they want for access to their pipes. It's the same thing. How many of you want Comcast to be able to charge you for your Netflix usage?