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iPhone owners can leave EU for 30 days before they lose third-party app stores

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Re: iPhone owners can leave EU for 30 days before they lose third-party app stores

#51
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would be available for phones and laptops in this scenario? The FairPhone, System 76 laptop... what are the other options? (Assuming you also mean Microsoft)

That's a good point. Would EU be able to allow selling the phone but not the app store? Also, what is the line of monopoly or abuse of market dominance that would put these companies get caught in the EU's cross hairs?

I'm sure they could pass laws to make these things possible.

Assuming that these ideals are correct, I'd think that new device makers would pop up to satisfy these markets. I think something similar has happened with Huawei in China. The EU is going hard after FAANG, but if they all pulled out, does the EU have anything that can replace them?

Edit: Actually, Fairphone is a great example. I think it's the sort of thing that satisfies all the ideals that the EU is trying to get to.

Re: iPhone owners can leave EU for 30 days before they lose third-party app stores

#52

How does this improve security?

It doesn't - none of what Apple is doing is security.

It's using the lack robust market competition to make tortured interpretations of DMA laws to continue to play rentier.

Re: iPhone owners can leave EU for 30 days before they lose third-party app stores

#53
post #2

Apple really trying to be the asshole here. Imagine installing work apps that disappear after 30 days.. Also what happens if the user chooses not to share their live location with apple?

I wonder if you turn off location services, and use a european VPN, if you maintain access.

If you do not have access, I would wonder if they would run across the problem google ran into with private browsing, that people expect to have privacy.

In other words, if you turn off location services, that apple will not track your location and should have (legal) no way of knowing if you are inside or outside of the EU.

Re: iPhone owners can leave EU for 30 days before they lose third-party app stores

#54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They don't lose access to the apps. I suspect the phone itself is what disables it, not sending the location to Apple. Imagine paying a thousand dollars for a computer that actively sabotages its user based on their gps data… All because the manufacturer wants to control how someone can install a piece of software on it…

It.. doesn't bother me. But none of this is different than when said person spent a thousand dollars. If this is the sort of thing that annoys you, you should probably have bought a different device in the first place.

Wow, this is a wildly defeatist & subservient mindset. It's ok to like something, and also recognize its flaws & demand better. It's kind of the underlying principle behind all of human history. But if you're so apathetic, that's fine, just sit this one out & let the people who do care try to effect change.

Re: iPhone owners can leave EU for 30 days before they lose third-party app stores

#55

Does a european embassy count as EU?

oh that's brilliant. i wonder how detailed Apple's geofence maps are, because by international law, you are absolutely correct in that is how they are considered.

What makes you believe that to be the case?

I can't find anything here [0][1] which implies that embassies are foreign soil. I believe, for example, that if, hypothetically, a woman were to give birth in a US embassy they would not become a US citizen.

[0] https://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventio...

[1] https://fam.state.gov/FAM/08FAM/08FAM030101.html#M301_1_3

Re: iPhone owners can leave EU for 30 days before they lose third-party app stores

#56
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

oh that's brilliant. i wonder how detailed Apple's geofence maps are, because by international law, you are absolutely correct in that is how they are considered.

What makes you believe that to be the case? I can't find anything here [0][1] which implies that embassies are foreign soil. I believe, for example, that if, hypothetically, a woman were to give birth in a US embassy they would not become a US citizen. [0] https://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventio... [1] https://fam.state.gov/FAM/08FAM/08FAM030101.html#M301_1_3

Because this is what all of the TV shows tell us of course

Re: iPhone owners can leave EU for 30 days before they lose third-party app stores

#57
IIUC this is a deliberate act of aggression by Apple - which is important to note. Apple already has regional accounts, so the infrastructure for this is in place already, for preexisting reasons. My Apple ID is still within US after months of being in the EU. They have not “kicked me out” yet.

There’s no other way than to interpret this, and the preceding actions by Apple, as a temper tantrum of malicious compliance. That begs a whole new set of questions.

Optically, this is the behavior you’d expect from companies that stopped innovating and are clinging onto power with the power of lawyers. It seems like an incredibly small hill to sacrifice your reputation on.

Are their long term ambitions to live off the 30% cut? Because it sure as hell appears like they’re fighting an existential battle, which doesn’t inspire confidence in their visionary leadership. Perhaps the best thing for Apple is to take away their comfort blanket, so they’re setting sights on innovation again.

Re: iPhone owners can leave EU for 30 days before they lose third-party app stores

#58
post #53
post #2

Apple really trying to be the asshole here. Imagine installing work apps that disappear after 30 days.. Also what happens if the user chooses not to share their live location with apple?

I wonder if you turn off location services, and use a european VPN, if you maintain access. If you do not have access, I would wonder if they would run across the problem google ran into with private browsing, that people expect to have privacy. In other words, if you turn off location services, that apple will not track your location and should have (legal) no way of knowing if you are inside or outside of the EU.

The phone still needs to know which country you are in so it can follow local laws and regulations.

Apple doesn’t need to know where you are because the phone can enforce their rules offline.

Re: iPhone owners can leave EU for 30 days before they lose third-party app stores

#60

How does this improve security?

It doesn't - none of what Apple is doing is security. It's using the lack robust market competition to make tortured interpretations of DMA laws to continue to play rentier.

But I thought the only reason Apple prevented third-party stores and sideloaded apps in the first place was to improve security. Therefore, I’m sure that disabling app updates once someone spends a month outside the EU must improve security, too. Right!?

/s

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