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Apple announces ability to download apps directly from websites in EU

macrumors.com

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Re: Apple announces ability to download apps directly from websites in EU

#871

Post by jamesfinlayson »

kmeisthax wrote: post #678
epaulson wrote: post #648

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd even be willing to pay the $99 a year, I just want the signature to last longer than a week, ideally forever. For years when I don't feel like updating the app, I won't pay the developer membership fee.

Uh, don't the $99/year certs give you signatures that last like a year?

I think the deploy straight from Xcode to your device builds have a pretty short lifetime (I remember it being a month in around 2014 or 2015) not sure now. If you archive and build using a certificate from developer.apple.com they last a year.

Re: Apple announces ability to download apps directly from websites in EU

#872

Post by ffgjgf1 »

illiac786 wrote: post #861
nojvek wrote: post #851

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Demand and supply. As long as there is a marketplace and people have a choice, the market will balance. I have friends in strip mall businesses and they have moved locations for better landlords.

Sometimes there's something else at play though, because there are situations which cannot be explained by offer and demand. For example, developers are paid less in average than for example some consultant jobs while in my view (and I'm a consultant) both the skills required for a developer are higher while additionally the available workforce (supply) is lower for developers as well. I mean, consultants, they grow…

There is a higher demand for a certain kind of consultants (let’s call them “good”) and fairly low supply. There are plenty of people who call themselves consultants but nobody needs them since this is a bit of a winner takes all market (.e.g. like being a broker or even a lawyer to some extent)

Re: Apple announces ability to download apps directly from websites in EU

#873

Post by TulliusCicero »

__d wrote: post #728
TulliusCicero wrote: post #604

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's less "concerning" and more "flagrantly ridiculous". A company has to pay Apple half a euro for every executable download from the company's own website? If Microsoft tried this shit with Windows people would be apoplectic.

And yet, it's pretty common in commercial software and in other industries. For instance, my application uses a particular commercially-licensed software library. I have to pay a per-copy-sold royalty to the vendor. Or I write a video game for a console: I have to pay a percentage of my revenue to the console vendor. Or I use a particular algorithm (eg. an AV codec) and I have to pay patent royalties. So if your appl…

> And yet, it's pretty common in commercial software and in other industries.

Is it common in general purpose operating systems? Android? Linux? ChromeOS? Windows? Hell, MacOS?

No? Then why did you bring it up?

Re: Apple announces ability to download apps directly from websites in EU

#874

Post by pg_1234 »

bimguy wrote: post #869
docmars wrote: post #750

Oh the horror, it must be so hard for Apple to cave to an open system for these people. What will they ever do without their unbelievable tax on app profits simply for existing on their nearly unlimited real estate, that is, the web?! I have no sympathy for their concerns. I can download apps on my MacBook machines all day from many different sources, and it harms no one. While I understand the associated risks, comp…

You are not a big fan of the EU after this? They seem to care more about privacy and rights of the people within the majority of the countries that make up the EU then any other outside country that I could name. Then again, I'm not American so I can easily see the influence your country has on most other countries, so to say the "EU have enormous capacity for overreach at the expense of participating countries and t…

The EU should make a public service announcement.

Something along the lines of:

"We urge all EU citizens with Apple devices to have an alternate means of accessing critical internet services like banking, to protect themselves in the event we are forced to block all Apple services EU-wide for legal non-compliance."

... then watch AAPL stock drop below NVDA ...

... and Apple come crawling back, suitably obedient.

Re: Apple announces ability to download apps directly from websites in EU

#875

Post by supermatt »

One of the conditions to being able to distribute your app in this way:

> Be a member of good standing in the Apple Developer Program for two continuous years or more, and have an app that had more than one million first annual installs on iOS in the EU in the prior calendar year.

Apple really need to be slapped with another multi-billion dollar fine.

Re: Apple announces ability to download apps directly from websites in EU

#876

Post by noapologies »

mrcode007 wrote: post #835
noapologies wrote: post #717

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is much harder to explain to consumers why Apple should get a percentage-based rent (sorry Core Technology Fee that enables Privacy and Security™) if they go to a non-Apple website, download a non-Apple app, to do non-Apple-related things. Like literally the only participants in that business transaction are the consumer and the company, Apple does not even enter the picture. It would be like car manufacturers cha…

It’s more like car manufacturer charging license fees to the dealership for their use of the original manuals and tools to provide services that rely on their diagnostic tools and manuals.

But a car is used for more things than going to the dealership, and the dealership does not sell me groceries. Perhaps I want to race, or carry ikea furniture, or jump start another car - it is a general-purpose transportation device.

Similarly, I dream of going to Epic's website to download some Fortnite, maybe charge a thousand vbucks to mom's credit card if I'm feeling adventurous, and that has nothing to do with Apple or iOS.

This is how every single general-purpose computing platform (including Apple's MacOs) and the open internet has worked for multiple decades.

Re: Apple announces ability to download apps directly from websites in EU

#877

Post by Hamuko »

unstatusthequo wrote: post #841
tenlp wrote: post #840

So can I download distributed apps through VPN nodes in the EU? If so, that would be great.

I think your account has to be an EU account, whatever that means. Maybe billing address and other things. But, would be nice if that wasn’t the case. Also, I could be wrong. Try it and let us know?

They seem to also be tracking what country you are currently in via the GPS.

Re: Apple announces ability to download apps directly from websites in EU

#878

Post by int_19h »

fennecbutt wrote: post #831
throwaway2037 wrote: post #761

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> lots of anecdotal tales of technology illiterate grandparents, fathers and mothers being better off I'll bite. Is there anyone here that thinks overall security for elderly (and lower skilled users) will *not* be hurt by additional app stores? I find it hard to believe. And, I write this post an an uber geek is is neither an Apple fan boi, but is very impressive by their overall security and UX. For the geeks, it w…

I still feel like that argument is like a "won't somebody please think of the children" one. If app stores need to be locked down to protect the elderly, then surely the Internet needs to be locked down to protect all children. After all, Safari still navigates little Jimmy to pornhub if he clicks the link. I feel like the real solution, same as the one most parents should be using instead of forcing it into everyone…

In fact, Apple devices already ship with something called "Assistive Access", which is a mode that you can enable that limits what can be done with the phone. In particular, it limits the ability to install apps.

https://support.apple.com/guide/assistive-access-iphone/set-...

Re: Apple announces ability to download apps directly from websites in EU

#879

Post by lenkite »

radley wrote: post #772
philistine wrote: post #765

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Within the corporate monopolist called Apple, that is to say within the minds of all its collective employees, lies an old idea still warm and vibrant after decades of waning indifference. This idea is called Apple Computer, and it makes the best gosh-darn computers in the world: the Mac. It is such a powerful and self-evident idea that those computers are still above and beyond the best ones in the world, even with…

Heh, Apple Computer also made the iPhone. Everything since launch has been incremental change, not innovative. Except Airpods. They're pretty sweet.

> Except Airpods. They're pretty sweet.

Sweet devices that keep falling off your ears. You need AirPod ear hooks to keep them on.

Re: Apple announces ability to download apps directly from websites in EU

#880

Post by chargingmarmot »

bimguy wrote: post #869
docmars wrote: post #750

Oh the horror, it must be so hard for Apple to cave to an open system for these people. What will they ever do without their unbelievable tax on app profits simply for existing on their nearly unlimited real estate, that is, the web?! I have no sympathy for their concerns. I can download apps on my MacBook machines all day from many different sources, and it harms no one. While I understand the associated risks, comp…

You are not a big fan of the EU after this? They seem to care more about privacy and rights of the people within the majority of the countries that make up the EU then any other outside country that I could name. Then again, I'm not American so I can easily see the influence your country has on most other countries, so to say the "EU have enormous capacity for overreach at the expense of participating countries and t…

Well, yeah, but isn't the EU also responsible for all the trash cookie-consent notifications I get from every website now?

Overall, I'm happy they're actively involved. The hands-off attitude in the US is terrible.

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