Apple just kicked Fortnite off the App Store

Thanks for your comment. I want to clarify some things.

> There's no central gatekeeper for the web, and sure, it has its dark corners, but it has not devolved into absolute chaos as you so adamantly suggest all such ecosystems would, and continues to deliver such an incredible amount value to consumers and businesses alike.

I never stated that all open systems would turn into chaos. What I suggested is that systems with unchecked advanced AI capabilities probably will. Technology is changing and old paradigms are not guaranteed to work in the future.

You seem to be looking only at the present and there I find your sentiment somewhat reasonable. However, looking at the future, safety will become much more important. If the software you are deploying has the potential to (unintentionally) kill people, shut down cities, or otherwise wrack havoc because you haven’t completely mastered the art of training machine intelligence in a safe way... you simply don’t want this to be openly sold, same as you don’t want to buy medicine or medical technology from a 5 year old kid you just met on the subway. You also don’t have the right to hurt people to fulfill your desire to make things.

I know what I am referring to requires some looking down the road but we will get there in due time. More regulation is (hopefully) inevitable.

What I still think is open for discussion are the exact terms of such vetting/control. It might very well be that terms will get less onerous. That there will be requirements for gate keepers to implement. However, freedom from control is not going to be the long term solution and this is not a bad thing!

Hey HN mods! "spanhandler" is making a lot of cogent arguments in favor of Apple in this thread, like the voice of somebody with 20+ years in the industry. He also has a karma of 700+ after only opening the account 16 days ago. His entire comment history is to bash people arguing for open standards - see this thread, firefox threads, etc.

I cannot think of any motivation for any techie to create an account to spread propaganda (masquerading as informed opinion) unless that individual is getting something in return from Apple et al.

HN, "spanhandler" user is a symphtom of why HN has become a servant of power.

> The existence of a third-party marketplace doesn't change anything about that situation

People will install insecure app stores to get a hot app. Facebook would likely launch a store with none of Apple’s spyware restrictions. Cisco and IBM and Microsoft would too, and with that come e.g. employer mandates for certain apps and thus certain stores.

Apple regulates its App Store. Remove its distribution control and that regulatory power diminish. That diminish meant is fine when Apple extends its App Store dominance to win at music streaming and payments. But it’s a poor argument against the App Store per se.

What is preventing apple from renting the phone instead of selling it? If they do that, can they do whatever they want?

This was probably a bad move given this whole monopoly inquiry. I'm going to guess Tim Cook may fire someone over this if he wasn't directly involved.