301–310 of 600 posts
I applaud this. The manufacturer of the device must not control what apps I run on after buying it. Third-party appstores and app sideloading is a must. (And do not forget third party push-notifications, iOS devices are next to useless without them)
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The problem isn't how they run their store -- the problem is that they are the only store.
If there were multiple stores, chances are that the app developer would choose the least restrictive App Store. So maybe Apple’s App Store rejects an app because it’s doing something sneaky, but some other App Store isn’t as rigorous and publishes the app. If you’ve ever been in the situation where you’re the IT person for your extended family, don’t be surprised when your grandmother tells you that she needs help wi…
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Beyond the security of not giving our credit cards, and the convenience of not having 8 different game updater/launcher clients, Apple’s App Store policies also limit 3rd party software’s ability to fuck up my devices in a myriad of ways. If they’re forced to open up to 3rd party stores, I hope they can do it in a way that prevents Adobe from running 8 background processes to make sure my license is current and there…
An operating system that actually empowered you would give you the tools and options to prevent that, while also letting you run whatever software you desired. I will never understand people's desire to be handcuffed by Apple. Give me control over my own device god damn it.
I can just hope that the EU is successful in stopping all of Apple's trickeries ranging from 2.5mm headset jacks, ports, OS slow downs, mysterious battery underperformance, app store, the list just goes on.
The local cinema has an exclusive right on selling popcorn within its own walls. Far from being the only game in town, this cinema represents only 25% of the market and thus does not qualify for the Sherman Act definition of "monopoly". Punters, however, believe that once they enter the establishment they are now in the clutches of the monopoly, and so demand competing popcorn stands and reject the suggestion of walk…
This is not really an apt comparison because the commitment to a movie theater is pretty minimal. If you spend $1000 on a phone, you're stuck there for a while. Most of these issues don't become immediately obvious right when you buy the phone either, it's things that might take you a few years to realize are happening (if ever). Additionally, the network/ecosystem effects might make it such that you are really disin…
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Are you saying that you're fine to use the government's force against a company that is not causing harm to anyone just so that you benefit from that intervention (and in complete disregard to all users who are happy to pay for Apple's products and services exactly the way they are)? There's a name for this: Crony Capitalism.
Given that breaking up a major power leads to increased competition, it’s arguably more capitalistic and market-efficient.
Apple made its brand and has a loyal customer base due to the quality of the products it delivers, therefore it's providing what the market wants.
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If you go to a a McDonalds and get upset that you can't buy Pepsi, you're unreasonable. If you buy an iPhone and get upset that you can't install your own apps, you're unreasonable.
The MacDonalds its not yours, while your iPhone is. There's a big difference between the two, and the key difference here is ... Property. But i like your example because its shows the mindset that the iPhone you bought, is in the end the property of Apple, not really yours, and that you are "fine with it".
I really think this is a more accurate take than "Apple restricts what you can do to your device therefore you don't really own it." Yes, they restrict what I can do with the device, but yes, I really own it. And bonus: f I decide those restrictions are too much to bear, well, buying a new phone is way easier than buying a new house.
we already know what a market without a mandatory App Store looks like because it is like that for the Mac. I still prefer buying apps through Apple’s store. Due to safety, ease of use etc. But I am happy alternatives exist when I need them.
They could follow a similar model for iPhone where non-Apple stores have to be enabled specifically with a security warning.
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> They enjoy the lock in + fees that the app store generates. That only affects the developer, not the consumer. What does the consumer care about who gets paid the fees. I keep seeing the App Store framed as a consumer issue rather than a developer one when it's not. The App Store is no question pro-consumer especially when you consider the fact that the "open" web has essentially devolved into using every available…
If Apple decided to implement the Push Notification API for Mobile Safari, it would be very beneficial to the users of my forum websites. Now I’m forced to build an app, while my forums users are all happy with the website as it is. They just want push notifications and I’m convinced Apple is holding that back on purpose. I bet there are internal emails about that issue as well.
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I understand that, but your original argument was disingenuous. The central question at hand is the App Store monopoly, and your argument was: > There are thousands of powerful smartphones on the market, from many different companies and even countries. But that number willfully misrepresents the current state of the market as it pertains to the current discussion because all but one of those powerful smartphones onl…
You know what the “mono” in “monopoly” means right?
Of course I know what it means — the argument is way more nuanced than "hurr durr there are 2 and 2 > 1".
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So you are suggesting users in China apply for a developer license and build their own build of Signal and Protonmail apps? Really? And how would said users receive push notifications for their apps from Signal? UPD: oh boy, and I forgot to mention that such users would also have to buy Macs - you can't build a 'stupid app' for iOS without XCode, which runs only on Macs that support the latest version of macOS.
So now are you suggesting that the government force Apple to release XCode for Windows? Linux?
The right way, of course, is to allow third party appstores and app sideloading. Just like we have it on macOS - and it doesn't look like someone was made unhappy because he can run Steam and buy Sketch directly from the developer.
Someone besides Apple, of course.