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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

#421

Post by dang »

cm2012 wrote: post #314
Etheryte wrote: post #84

The terms and conditions for web distribution [0] are concerning to say the least. In short, you have to have at least one million first installs annually on iOS to even qualify, in addition to other terms such as "good standing in the Apple Developer Program for two continuous years or more". I doubt Epic and the like would be considered in good standing as far as Apple is concerned. Also, quote unquote, developers…

Edit: Removed, I used too harsh language for Apple

Ok, but please don't post unsubstantive comments to Hacker News. We're trying for something a bit different here.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

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

#423

Post by its_ethan »

tombert wrote: post #407
Terretta wrote: post #395

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tell your mind it's an appliance/console.* Still baffled? Because nobody seems baffled they can't run arbitrary software on their Amazon Echo Show, AppleTV, Xbox, Playstation, or Switch. * If your mind is struggling with this, you might need a bicycle for the mind to help. ;-) But seriously, Apple's brand and value prop since original Mac has been to toasterize compute and make it friendly approachable and non-fiddly…

I don't really know that I agree with the analogy. Yes, you're kind of right, I don't really have a problem with not being able to easily sideload stuff on my oven or dishwasher, despite the fact that they technically have computers in them. They are highly specific, single-purpose things and sideloading Doom on there doesn't really make sense. Even a game console is still more or less single purpose (though that lin…

The way that an iPhone is different from a Nintendo Switch is arbitrary though.

If you're talking about changing laws it'd be nice to have more of a defense than "this computer we call a phone should be treated differently than the computer we call a Gameboy".

Without some clear and useable definitions, there's no precedents that can be set and leveraged. You will also, by necessity, require bureaucratic bloat to decide what counts and what doesn't for every device moving forward. At best, this is a slow process that delays innovation and reduces availability for users.

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

#424

Post by tmccrary55 »

gwright wrote: post #412
paganel wrote: post #393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Splitting up needs to happen for big and monopolistic US companies, no ifs, no buts. That is if they still want to keep a technological edge in the next 10-15 years. I personally don’t think that the forced split-up will happen, the direct interests involved are too big for that to have any chance of success, but it’s the only way forward for the US as a whole (when it comes to IT).

Any particular reason you are picking on US companies? or big companies? Most, if not all, monopolies are sustained by government via laws, regulations, and so on. So let's get specific, which monopolies do you think should be forced to split up and we can test that theory and see if we can identify what government actions sustain the monopoly.

The three big app stores are based on the west coast US.

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

#425

Post by pg_1234 »

onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #209
Etheryte wrote: post #84

The terms and conditions for web distribution [0] are concerning to say the least. In short, you have to have at least one million first installs annually on iOS to even qualify, in addition to other terms such as "good standing in the Apple Developer Program for two continuous years or more". I doubt Epic and the like would be considered in good standing as far as Apple is concerned. Also, quote unquote, developers…

~20% of Apple's total earnings (not revenue) could come from the App Store: https://deepwatermgmt.com/apples-app-store-is-an-important-p... When you look at the multiple on services - the App Store could easily be >40% of Apple's total market cap. They're going to stick their fingers in their ears as long as they can to defend that. You don't give up the golden goose. You defend it.

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

#426

Post by TheLoafOfBread »

overstay8930 wrote: post #208
TheLoafOfBread wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So how is it possible, that I can run unsigned, unnotarized applications on MacOS?

That is one of the reasons why businesses must have security software monitoring your entire system on macOS, but not on iOS. On Windows, people literally just give everything they install complete root access to their entire system when installing applications, might as well bring that to iOS too, right? You’re not making the point you think you’re making. There’s a lot more danger using macOS/Windows than iOS, and…

> That is one of the reasons why businesses must have security software monitoring your entire system on macOS, but not on iOS.

Because it is not even possible on iOS, so false sense of security

> On Windows, people literally just give everything they install complete root access to their entire system when installing applications, might as well bring that to iOS too, right?

You have not used Windows for looooong time, otherwise you would know that this is not the case since Windows 7 and not the case at all on Domain (enterprise) Windows since Windows XP

> I can grant anything access to my iCloud Keychain on macOS, do you honestly think iOS users should be able to press a button to allow this if a random app requested it? Do you even think they will know what that means? Now imagine if unsigned applications could access keychain like on macOS. How well do you think that will go down?

Of course, why not. Are iOS user dumber than MacOS users?

> Apple drew the line at consumer safety, and developers hate that they can’t abuse their powers like they do everywhere else.

This has nothing to do with safety, but with users demanding support for their iOS toys, while refusing to acknowledge, that if Apple bans me from App Store for whatever reason, all the money spent on iOS support are now running down the drain.

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

#428

Post by [deleted] »

ApolloFortyNine wrote: post #278

50 cents an install over 1 million downloads? Every year? Is Apple trying to get fined? They're not even hiding the fact they're maliciously complying. For one, this makes deploying a free app on an alternative store (that becomes popular) simply impossible? I highly doubt that was the EU's intent. Usually with malicious compliance you can at least see the logic for a future legal case. Here, if they were trying to l…

[deleted]

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

#429

Post by kowbell »

kmeisthax wrote: post #402
m_a_g wrote: post #227

I wonder why the EU is pushing Apple this hard, and not the other gatekeepers. For example, Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo consoles should now support an external store.

Existing law surrounding anticircumvention already singles out game consoles as deserving special protection. i.e. the Copyright Office made it explicitly legal to circumvent the iPhone's DRM in order to install otherwise legal software, but they refused to extend this to game consoles. While you are technically correct that we should be treating game consoles the same as smartphones, in practice the industry treats…

> take away all the devkits Epic uses to test Unreal Engine, demanding they delete the console ports of the engine, and refusing to cert any new games using Unreal Engine, forcing all their partners to license different technology and rebuild their games

I think this is a lil extreme. Even if Epic had some reason to sue the console makers, there are too many high profile and high grossing games (e.g. the next Witcher and Cyberpunk, Hogwarts Legacy, Star Wars Jedi series) for Sony/Microsoft to choose to completely ban Unreal. Imagine too: if one of them announces they will prohibit Unreal games, why won’t the other swallow their pride and become the console-exclusive platform for that title? Not even Apple has banned Unreal, and I can’t think of any big games on their store that use it.

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

#430

Post by user_7832 »

EMIRELADERO wrote: post #348
alwayslikethis wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or alternatively, that the manufacturer shall have no special privileges when it comes to software. The OS APIs needs to be public and if Apple can do something, someone else unauthorized should be able to do it also. This would also apply the play store privileges on Android, but that is a much less egregious violation than what Apple does.

They already did that. Article 6(7): > The gatekeeper shall allow business users and alternative providers of services provided together with, or in support of, core platform services, free of charge, effective interoperability with, and access for the purposes of interoperability to, the same operating system, hardware or software features, regardless of whether those features are part of the operating system, as ar…

Would this mean that something like safetynet and the payment api need to allow 3rd party alternatives? That would be very good for the rooting/custom ROM community.
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