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Apple restricts Pebble from being awesome with iPhones

ericmigi.com

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Re: Apple restricts Pebble from being awesome with iPhones

#561
post #448

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I probably dont get your sarcasm. But I never had a problem with Lightning. In the long run, I like the switch to USB-C... But when I got my first iPhone, USB-C wasn't invented yet, so... Also, I like the AppStore for its reviews, and would actually NEVER activate an alternative appstore. No need to weaken my security on purpose. I know, its apparently an unpopular opinion here, but that is mostly because many people…

You can't run an ad-blocker and you browse the web with JS turned on in Safari, but your Iphone is secure? yeah ok

You can run ad blockers in mobile Safari. This one works great: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/firefox-focus-privacy-browser/... -- it's both a browser itself as well as acting as a content blocker for Safari and does a fantastic job at blocking ads.

Re: Apple restricts Pebble from being awesome with iPhones

#562
post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Couldn't you make that argument for literally any anticompetitive practice? Like in the 1990s: "Microsoft isn't making an OS for people that want to try different browsers"

Only if they're a monopoly. In the 1990's, Microsoft Windows had over 90% of operating system market share. They were a monopoly. iPhones are only 58% versus Android in the US right now. That's nowhere close to monopoly. Globally Android has 71%. Android is thriving. With Windows, you didn't have a choice. With iOS and Android, you have choice.

At which point does a monopoly becomes a monopoly?

There is no need to have a "clear" monopoly like Windows in 1990's to abuse your power and presence in the market.

Re: Apple restricts Pebble from being awesome with iPhones

#563

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We have decades of experience that users will blindly click whatever prompts they need to make the app work.

>We have decades of experience that users will blindly click whatever prompts they need to make the app work. Really, how is Apple protecting you from clicking Allow on a webbrowser if it asks permissions for WebCam and Microphone? I am asking since I do not have a Mac and really want to know how well are Apple users protected compared to Linxu users from web and microphone on browsers.

That's exactly how it works. Apple does the same thing everyone else does. But when Apple does it, it's "secure", and when everyone else does it, it's "insecure". Hope that helps.

Re: Apple restricts Pebble from being awesome with iPhones

#564

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's all well and good. Opting into that knowingly is a reasonable decision. Hopefully knowing you've opted into that you aren't then cursing Google when they don't support some functionality blocked by Apple, or when RCS is poorly supported, but instead recognizing this as a trade-off you made opting into the Apple closed garden.

The reason Apple Maps even exists is because Google intentionally crippled their Maps app on iPhone in order to benefit their own OS. The reason Google loves RCS is because they spectacularly failed 4 or 5 times at introducing their own iMessage competitors. Competing companies often act in their best interests. And both Google and Apple offer OS’s which have very different value systems. I think that’s good for cons…

i had the same problem with this behavior from google as i do from apple. i would be just as critical of google zealots blaming apple for google shortcomings as i am for apple zealots blaming google for apple shortcomings.

this is definitely an apple culture thing though. it's such a clear product choice to get apple users to pressure their friends into buying apple products.

Re: Apple restricts Pebble from being awesome with iPhones

#566

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are you talking about? I can try all the competing products compatible with Android and Windows. I'm not locked into anything Apple because they're not a monopoly. I am very much in a position to "make that call".

You said that Apple makes the best tech, but you wouldn't know, because you cannot pair third party accessories with your Apple devices and have them work properly, so you cannot determine if third parties are capable of making accessories better than Apple or not. Whether or not a third party is capable of making a better "ecosystem" of interconnected devices is a separate concern; I'm talking about accessories here…

I wouldn't know?

Kind of amazing you're so confident I don't use the Android ecosystem for a whole bunch of stuff. You know a lot of people use one ecosystem for personal stuff, and another for work? Also that people do stuff like... read reviews? Compare features? Compare specs?

Re: Apple restricts Pebble from being awesome with iPhones

#567

I guess I’ll take the contra here on messages integration — moving a message over BLE to untrusted hardware and worse accepting them back into iMessage is a massive, massive change in the security boundary and therefore security architecture and therefore security promises that apple makes on iMessage. I do not believe average smartwatch users understand what they’d be doing if they got this. I do not believe vendors…

> "One reason iMessage is less of a total cesspit than SMS is that the ecosystem is closed"

I don't think that's the main reason. iMessage is available on macOS, so by definition isn't that tightly locked down. Anyone can automate/script the desktop app to try and fire off as many messages as you like.

But of course that won't really work because Apple has security algorithms in the network that detect unusual behaviour. Did that user/device suddenly start to fire off 1000 messages to users they've never contacted before? Activity flagged, user blocked.

There are also functions in the iMessage app itself to block and report unwanted/inappropriate/spam messages. So even low-volume spammers will not get away with it for long.

Besides, in the UK, SMS spam is almost non-existent in my experience. Unlike in some other countries I've visited where it's a huge problem. That's not because the ecosystem is any different - it's because there's strict rules that are actively enforced (see TPS: www.tpsonline.org.uk).

Re: Apple restricts Pebble from being awesome with iPhones

#568

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if they're a monopoly. In the 1990's, Microsoft Windows had over 90% of operating system market share. They were a monopoly. iPhones are only 58% versus Android in the US right now. That's nowhere close to monopoly. Globally Android has 71%. Android is thriving. With Windows, you didn't have a choice. With iOS and Android, you have choice.

At which point does a monopoly becomes a monopoly? There is no need to have a "clear" monopoly like Windows in 1990's to abuse your power and presence in the market.

> At which point does a monopoly becomes a monopoly?

It's generally in the 70-90% range. Right now, it's much easier to argue that Android has a global monopoly.

> There is no need to have a "clear" monopoly like Windows in 1990's to abuse your power and presence in the market.

Well it depends what you mean by "abuse". I mean, even small companies can "abuse" their customers by not building the interoperability their customers want. But we generally prioritize individual freedom, that private businesses ought to have free choice in what they work with or don't. That's important.

That only becomes a problem when consumers aren't able to switch to a competitor. I.e. when there is a monopoly provider. I.e. which controls 70-90%+ of the market.

Re: Apple restricts Pebble from being awesome with iPhones

#569
For iOS compatibility, consider this architecture:

- Swift UI layer for Apple-compliant UI/UX

- Zig core library (as XCFramework) for watch communication

- Data processing WebAssembly runtime for watchface interpretation

This avoids Pebble's original JS compiler workaround while still enabling customizable watchfaces within Apple's restrictions

The WASM engine stays within App Store guidelines by interpreting watchfaces as data rather than executable code

TL;DR to avoid this:

iOS App (Swift UI) Zig Core Library (XCFramework) WebAssembly Runtime (for watchfaces)

Re: Apple restricts Pebble from being awesome with iPhones

#570

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple are making devices for people who want things that look pretty. Functionality is generally not the major concern. Think about it. They are late with most new tech as they will just wait until it becomes cheaper, why? Because they already know it's not a deal breaker. They removed a bunch of fundamental and heavily used ports from the Macbook for years. Because they knew people would just work around it and buy…

I'm annoyed about the dongles, but that's about it. Macs work better.

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