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EU approves legislation to regulate Apple, Google, Meta, and other tech firms

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Re: EU approves legislation to regulate Apple, Google, Meta, and other tech firms

#581

Post by wvenable »

obblekk wrote: post #148

I generally believe Apple, Google and others should be able to profit from creating some of the most useful, innovative and technically challenging products in human history (remember multi touch was not an affordable thing before Apple). But, 15 years (since original iPhone) is about enough to reward the innovation. Beyond that point, it is the role of government to open up platforms to enable the next generation of…

> If I go to a clinic, they ask me to side load an app while I’m sick, and that app has no real privacy protections…

What privacy protections do you get from getting that same app from the app store?

Re: EU approves legislation to regulate Apple, Google, Meta, and other tech firms

#582

Post by getcrunk »

trollied wrote: post #195
warning26 wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Every single app creator out there will now want their own "app store" and it's going to be a mess. This is such an oft-repeated argument, yet overlooks that Android already allows sideloading and alternative app stores. If everyone-creating-their-own-app-store hasn't happened on Android, why would iOS be different?

Counter argument: The millions of different game launchers on Windows. What a complete and utter mess.

That doesn't apply. You are forced to use the different launchers if you want certain games

Re: EU approves legislation to regulate Apple, Google, Meta, and other tech firms

#583

Post by nicce »

Barrin92 wrote: post #550
n8cpdx wrote: post #417

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People don’t choose iPhone because they want those things, they choose iPhone because they want to be protected from them. Look at the Lumenate app that was just on hacker news yesterday: - Android users are complaining about having to create an account to use it - iOS users just pushed a button and didn’t even have to share their email or make a password - iOS users who subscribe have one place to manage their subsc…

then don't install third party apps on your iPhone and only install Apple software? Like I literally cannot understand the thought process behind this. Someone needs to physically restrain you from installing an app that you don't want? Nobody is forcing you to do anything, other people just get more options. People here on HN support this because people here like software freedom instead of being treated like infant…

> then don't install third party apps on your iPhone and only install Apple software? Like I literally cannot understand the thought process behind this. Someone needs to physically restrain you from installing an app that you don't want?

Because not everyone understands tech very well. There will be tons of social engineering campaigns to make you install the app you don’t want. And enough of them will succeed. And have succeed on Android.

We might also see a shift where big players will not release their apps for App store, because they want to collect more data from you. I think for example Apple’s cross app tracking notification is dependent on the app store policy.

It is really complicated problem. Giving a stock Android for some non-tech user is much more risky than giving stock iPhone at the moment.

When there are too many features, the user is the biggest risk. While HN audience might not be in part of that, a major population is.

Re: EU approves legislation to regulate Apple, Google, Meta, and other tech firms

#584

Post by emn13 »

savingsPossible wrote: post #435
Retric wrote: post #384

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple annual gross profit for 2021 was $152 billion. That ~19B in 2020 is before CC fees on 64B or internal expenses. App stores have a lot of customer service and charge backs on relatively tiny purchases. Actually reviewing apps isn’t cheap either, and all the relevant IT adds even more expense. Further they upped the developers cut to between 70% and 85% from the flat 70% in 2020. So sure they might make 3-5 billi…

at 5%, cc fees would result 2.9 billion. So more like 16B in profit

It strikes me as hard to be believe it's that much - surely Apple does not pay 5% in CC fees. They _must_ have managed a better deal than that...

Re: EU approves legislation to regulate Apple, Google, Meta, and other tech firms

#585

Post by itsoktocry »

shuckles wrote: post #526
disgruntledphd2 wrote: post #509

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple have repeatedly refused to confirm that their ad system is compliant with the ATT rules.

Which ad system? Their programmatic ad inventory does not support tracking, as anyone who has access to developer ads can confirm.

Forgive my ignorance, but how do we know that Apple doesn't track more data than they provide to developers?

Re: EU approves legislation to regulate Apple, Google, Meta, and other tech firms

#586

Post by FredPret »

sircastor wrote: post #565
dingleberry420 wrote: post #538

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't worry, it won't be legal for Apple to void the warranty for this.

The concern is not a voided warranty. The concern is tech-illiterate users being able to install some random app they found on the web. They find a special version of Facebook and install it, and now their phone is compromised.

We techies vastly overestimate the technical nous of people who don’t care about it.

For example, my dad, who has had decades of internet usage, tried to buy a USB drive that promised to speed up his computer for only $99.

These folks need an app store.

Re: EU approves legislation to regulate Apple, Google, Meta, and other tech firms

#587

Post by takeda »

hyperpape wrote: post #175

There's several very good provisions in this legislation (3rd party payment processors, non-preferential treatment for 1st party apps), there are several that have a mix of upsides and downsides (sideloading is one--I personally like knowing that Facebook can't ask people to sideload some privacy destroying crap on iOS). Then there's: - Allow developers to integrate their apps and digital services directly with those…

> I personally like knowing that Facebook can't ask people to sideload some privacy destroying crap on iOS).

No company like Facebook requires app side loading on Android. The side-loading is used for other apps that one way or another couldn't be on Play Store. For example other stores (F-Droid is the most popular with open source applications) or other apps that one way or another are not allowed in the store.

Another example is GPSLogger[1], Play Store makes it very difficult to support older versions or Android. Author got frustrated and just moved to alternative store.

[1] https://github.com/mendhak/gpslogger/issues/849

Re: EU approves legislation to regulate Apple, Google, Meta, and other tech firms

#589

Post by nicce »

saiya-jin wrote: post #564
ynniv wrote: post #529

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No one chooses phones based on browser engines. Why anyone is upset with Apple improving security by only allowing executable pages in Safari is beyond my comprehension.

I would, after this and switch to usb-c. 3 months ago I was deciding where to put 1300 euro, apple vs samsung top of the line, and samsung won. This was 1 out of cca 4-5 points that decided it (sideloading, notch, usb-c, better zoom photos for family/nature, weight... apple had only battery as plus). Firefox mobile with ublock origin (and other plugins) makes general internet seriously usable. Sideloading for me is n…

I would not buy Samsung if I care my privacy. It would require custom ROM installation to get rid of all that pre-installed bloatware and data collection.

Non-tech user has no idea about this nor have way to fix it, and they might be still happy.

Like said, different values and decisions.

Re: EU approves legislation to regulate Apple, Google, Meta, and other tech firms

#590

Post by criddell »

gamblor956 wrote: post #484
wmf wrote: post #447

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's similar to what Apple is already proposing; they want 25% from any payment that goes thought a third-party payment processor.

No, it's quite different. With the consoles, publishers are paying for the right to use the console maker's commercial IP (i.e., the Playstation or Xbox logo on their marketing materials) and technical IP (access to software APIs for using the hardware functionality). They do not pay royalties to the console makers for each sale. (Source: I work for a video game company and deal with these contracts...) Quite importa…

Is it as easy for a developer to release PS5 software as it is to release iOS software?
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