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Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

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Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is, but the way the Apple app store rules work is that if you are purchasing something for use in the current app, it must go through the IAP API and give Apple their cut. Purchases for things outside the app (like physical items) are fine. The way this works with Amazon, is in the Amazon store app a user can buy ebooks/audiobooks (along with anything else Amazon sells), and then those books are sent to the Kin…

If anyone at Apple is reading this, this creates ridiculously bad UX for iOS users. Search for a book on Google. Click on an Amazon Kindle Search result. The Amazon iOS App launches and tries to find the book, realizes it's a Kindle result, launches Safari to show the result. So the was trasitioned from Safari -> Amazon -> Safari pretty much because of petty politics from Apple. And all for what? A happy Kindle user…

You're absolutely correct. It's been awhile since I have bought anything not on Amazon's site. At one point I thought I could buy books in their app, but it's possible that was only samples. And yes, it's comical how bad the user experience is.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#163
post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This makes no sense. Tracking for advertising is the business model of free content. That's how they pay for the "free" content you wish to consume without paying. Do Europeans really think GDPR is a new way to steal internet content without having to pay? It seems like a hard block on all Europeans visiting websites like this would be better (and totally legal, these are private servers with a terms of use, accessin…

> Tracking for advertising is the business model of free content. Well, too bad, that business model has just become illegal in EU. Publishers will have to make do with old style banners or ads. They can still target ads using the content of the page, assuming readers of the article will be interested in the subject. ... or get consent in a compliant way. Success with that!

> They can still target ads using the content of the page, assuming readers of the article will be interested in the subject.

Seems like a perfectly fair assumption to make given that the reader has actively chosen to read said content... Certainly moreso than repeatedly showing them ads for something they already bought weeks ago.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How can you even prove that a client consented? Do you present a log of the request or something?

Well, obviously , since the only way to view the site is to accept, the fact that he viewed the site is incontrovertible proof that he accepted! /s (though honestly it wouldn't surprise me if they tried that argument...)

They can try, but there is specific language banning this in the GDPR.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#165
post #144
post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google intentionally ignores issues Edge/IE users have with their products because they want them to switch to Chrome. This isn’t an issue of Microsoft making “browser upgrades”, it’s an issue of Google developing to and supporting Chrome and ignoring the rest of the web.

I don't blame anyone if they don't want to support Edge/IE. Microsoft's browsers are horrible to develop for. Personally I'd be much happier if more of my users would switch to Chrome.

I haven't tried to write extensions for Edge or anything like that, but have you recently developed for Edge or even IE11? I've run into a few minor warts (minor as in a 5-minutes fix) with IE11, but it's been smooth sailing with Edge. Mobile FireFox has comparatively been a nightmare in spite of MDN's wonderful docs.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#166
post #55

People who go on and on about the Google and Amazon "monopolies" -- which only benefit consumers with low prices and expansive services -- this is what actual monopolistic behavior looks like. Apple controls access to a significant share of the mobile application industry and it directly abuses that market power to harm customers by reducing competition and artificially raising prices. Apple is being sued in both US…

It's a bit ridiculous the amount of resources wasted by everyone having to please all these stores... maybe Europe will force them to come up with a standard so that 1 app will be compatible everywhere (a bit like HTML5) and prevent them from removing any non-malicious apps (which would be clearly defined and easy to understand for any non-attorney)...

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#167
post #55

People who go on and on about the Google and Amazon "monopolies" -- which only benefit consumers with low prices and expansive services -- this is what actual monopolistic behavior looks like. Apple controls access to a significant share of the mobile application industry and it directly abuses that market power to harm customers by reducing competition and artificially raising prices. Apple is being sued in both US…

Given that iPhones account for just 35% of US mobile phones [1] and only around 15% of phone shipments worldwide [2], this is in no way monopolistic.

[1] https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/13/ios-and-samsung-market-sha...

[2] https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/05/02/apples-iphone-buc...

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is, but the way the Apple app store rules work is that if you are purchasing something for use in the current app, it must go through the IAP API and give Apple their cut. Purchases for things outside the app (like physical items) are fine. The way this works with Amazon, is in the Amazon store app a user can buy ebooks/audiobooks (along with anything else Amazon sells), and then those books are sent to the Kin…

If anyone at Apple is reading this, this creates ridiculously bad UX for iOS users. Search for a book on Google. Click on an Amazon Kindle Search result. The Amazon iOS App launches and tries to find the book, realizes it's a Kindle result, launches Safari to show the result. So the was trasitioned from Safari -> Amazon -> Safari pretty much because of petty politics from Apple. And all for what? A happy Kindle user…

So basically all that Valve has to do is to redirect everyone that wants to make a purchase through Safari to the Steam web based store. Then it would be doing all of the selling on the web like a normal store, but content consumption could be done anywhere.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#169
post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't blame anyone if they don't want to support Edge/IE. Microsoft's browsers are horrible to develop for. Personally I'd be much happier if more of my users would switch to Chrome.

I haven't tried to write extensions for Edge or anything like that, but have you recently developed for Edge or even IE11? I've run into a few minor warts (minor as in a 5-minutes fix) with IE11, but it's been smooth sailing with Edge. Mobile FireFox has comparatively been a nightmare in spite of MDN's wonderful docs.

Edge extensions use the same new standard as Firefox, it shouldn’t be that bad.

Re: Apple rejects Valve’s Steam Link game streaming app over ‘business conflicts’

#170
post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Despite the two companies collaborating on an app based on HTML5, Microsoft's app is still breaking YouTube's terms of use. "Microsoft has not made the browser upgrades necessary to enable a fully-featured YouTube experience, and has instead re-released a YouTube app that violates our Terms of Service - It has been disabled. We value our broad developer community and therefore ask everyone to adhere to the same guide…

Google intentionally ignores issues Edge/IE users have with their products because they want them to switch to Chrome. This isn’t an issue of Microsoft making “browser upgrades”, it’s an issue of Google developing to and supporting Chrome and ignoring the rest of the web.

Same behaviour as Microsoft was punished for 15 years or so ago.

I really (at least used to) like Google but as a web developer/user who cares about competition who cares about the web ecosystem I'm starting to hope that relevant EU and US authorities will issue them a non-trivial fine for:

- intentionally working to destroy the third option on mobile phones as described above

- time and time again make their products feel slow in competing browsers

- abuse their position as the worlds most visited (?) website && ad reseller to advertise their own browser in a misleading way

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