Earlier quoted context omitted.
Except as soon as it becomes a remotely feasible action (with simple instructions) for the general consumer, a bunch of businesses will start requiring their users to disable "default Grandma mode". Imagine onboarding for Netflix including a pleasantly designed screen saying "Before you can use Netflix, you must Enable Third-party Stores. Go to Settings > Privacy..." If that comes to pass, there will be no highly-gua…
>Except as soon as it becomes a remotely feasible action (with simple instructions) for the general consumer, a bunch of businesses will start requiring their users to disable "default Grandma mode". Android already allows side-loading and i don't think any popular app out there is asking users to enable side-loading to install their app. Why do you think the situation would be any different with iOS app store?
Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint
741–750 of 1001 posts
Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint
#742Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can buy a PinePhone now (well, when they are back in stock). It's a decent phone with a completely open Linux stack. The UI might be a bit sluggish, but it is a fully functioning smartphone. If you want to see more apps targeting a third platform, then you should buy one of these phones. That's the way the market works.
I have one already. But there is a network effect in play here, that pretty much disallows a new platform to emerge without compatibility. If I were to create the very best hardware with top notch OS on top, that is superior in every way to every android and ios phone out there, noone would buy it because phones are integral part of our lives with many areas of it requiring applications that are only available on the…
Congrats -- do you like it? I wasn’t able to snag one before they all sold out. Hopefully, I'll be able to get one after the CNY break.
Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint
#743Earlier quoted context omitted.
The fact that you called it sideloading just shows how successful Apple has been in warping people's perception of it over the years. Installing the software you want on your compute device isn't sideloading. Its just installing software. Apple is aberration here not all of the users who just expect to actually own the products they buy.
Sideloading is Android terminology, isn't it? What does that have to do with Apple?
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Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint
#744It feels a bit hypocritical when Apple laughs at FB for complaining about their new tracking pop-up yet when the shoe's on the other foot and Apple may actually have to compete on its own platform they double down and defend their right to be judge, jury and executioner. Apple competing with third party app stores on iOS is going to be amazing. No computer platform should be allowed to prevent sideloading or other st…
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Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint
#745Earlier quoted context omitted.
Except as soon as it becomes a remotely feasible action (with simple instructions) for the general consumer, a bunch of businesses will start requiring their users to disable "default Grandma mode". Imagine onboarding for Netflix including a pleasantly designed screen saying "Before you can use Netflix, you must Enable Third-party Stores. Go to Settings > Privacy..." If that comes to pass, there will be no highly-gua…
I would trust Netflix. Other companies? Not so much. The App Store (and reduced API surface) was a true revolution for the customer. Remember every app installer requiring admin privilege on Windows and creating it's service that runs at startup checking for updates, littering the registry and sometimes installing drivers? All gone from the App Store. If the app maker doesn't like it he can go target another platform…
> I would trust Netflix. Other companies? Not so much.
Missing the point. Sure, many users will trust the Netflix app, but we only need one trustworthy app (like Netflix) to open the gate for all other kinds of untrustworthy apps to also skip the check.
Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint
#746Earlier quoted context omitted.
The fact that you called it sideloading just shows how successful Apple has been in warping people's perception of it over the years. Installing the software you want on your compute device isn't sideloading. Its just installing software. Apple is aberration here not all of the users who just expect to actually own the products they buy.
It's depressing that even on hackernews where you expect people want to tinker and have control over their machines there's a probably a majority who are happy with the situation and use the think of my grandma (aka children) using iPhone situation. There could be numerous ways for Apple to let people run their own software or other stores without giving your grandma malware.
It's pretty simple. Apple users don't want to spell it, so I will.
They want Apple to have a strong market position, so Apple can dictate their conditions to everyone else. They like the fact that Apple can bend every developer out there including Facebook and Google, because access to Apple users is a luxury. They like the fact that Apple uses its position to benefit Apple users.
Of course Apple uses its position to benefit Apple itself as well, but users don't care as long as they got their personal benefits like improved privacy or security. If that comes at a price to other developers, price that those developers would not pay with more open approach, users still don't care.
If Apple would allow installing of any applications to their phones, plenty of apps would run from Apple, because developers hate Apple. Installing some kind of OpenStore would be the first thing you're doing with your iPhone. AppStore would be empty just like Mac AppStore is empty. Very few developers would willingly pay 15% of their revenue to Apple just to have non-existent AppStore marketing (unless you're in lucky 0.001% who got top ranks). So those developers would not bend to Apple and Apple users would get reduced experience, less privacy, etc.
Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint
#747Earlier quoted context omitted.
Except as soon as it becomes a remotely feasible action (with simple instructions) for the general consumer, a bunch of businesses will start requiring their users to disable "default Grandma mode". Imagine onboarding for Netflix including a pleasantly designed screen saying "Before you can use Netflix, you must Enable Third-party Stores. Go to Settings > Privacy..." If that comes to pass, there will be no highly-gua…
>Except as soon as it becomes a remotely feasible action (with simple instructions) for the general consumer, a bunch of businesses will start requiring their users to disable "default Grandma mode". Android already allows side-loading and i don't think any popular app out there is asking users to enable side-loading to install their app. Why do you think the situation would be any different with iOS app store?
My grandfather had 4 different sms services when I tried to debug his phone.
He was tech illiterate. Yet without any effort or choice, people had engineered multiple ways to compromise the basic functionality of sending a message.
If I could have burned his phone in a fire and given him an iPhone, I would have.
Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint
#748Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m sorry but it an astonishingly stupid take. Apple and android DO have a duopoly, and it is bad for every phone owner. Also, allowing me to install whatever app I want with eg a hidden setting like enable developer mode will not hinder your walled garden at all. It won’t case the Apple Store to disappear, simply other alternatives will have a place. And yes your last point: there is no good choice. So that’s your s…
>I’m sorry but it an astonishingly stupid take. To you. >Apple and android DO have a duopoly, and it is bad for every phone owner. Google owns over 85% of the worldwide smartphone market. I agree that we need more competition. This competition should come from breaking Google/Android into 4 pieces, and then we'll have 5 companies with 15-25% market.
In the US, iOS has 52.4% of the mobile OS marketshare, and Android has 47%[1].
In the US, Apple's App Store makes more than 100% more revenue than Google's Play store does[2].
[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/266572/market-share-held...
Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint
#749It feels a bit hypocritical when Apple laughs at FB for complaining about their new tracking pop-up yet when the shoe's on the other foot and Apple may actually have to compete on its own platform they double down and defend their right to be judge, jury and executioner. Apple competing with third party app stores on iOS is going to be amazing. No computer platform should be allowed to prevent sideloading or other st…
It's only hypocritical in the hypothetical situation you created. It's very disingenuous.
Re: Epic Games steps up Apple fight with EU antitrust complaint
#750Earlier quoted context omitted.
The fact that you called it sideloading just shows how successful Apple has been in warping people's perception of it over the years. Installing the software you want on your compute device isn't sideloading. Its just installing software. Apple is aberration here not all of the users who just expect to actually own the products they buy.
It's depressing that even on hackernews where you expect people want to tinker and have control over their machines there's a probably a majority who are happy with the situation and use the think of my grandma (aka children) using iPhone situation. There could be numerous ways for Apple to let people run their own software or other stores without giving your grandma malware.
The defense I saw here was that Apple protects its value by offering a curated platform and that letting in the riff-raff would be detrimental for the users. Quite mind-boggling to be honest.