Stereotype much? I am a US citizen and I lived in the EU for two decades. This is aimed at a US company in the finest tradition of an underhanded trade war, and the US should retaliate in kind. Maybe look at Airbus and EU car manufacturers for a little closer regulation....
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Apple's App Store, Safari, and iOS Officially Designated 'Gatekeepers' in EU
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Because that argument worked so well for Microsoft in their antitrust suits when they locked down web browsers to just Internet Explorer right? "Just go to the other Duopoly, stop criticizing fruit computer company!"
That is the complete opposite of what it means. Theodore Roosevelt lead trustbusting efforts on the railroad monopolies for a reason, as when certain players get so big it stiffles innovation as any semblance of other companies attempting to grow. We already have a real world example of what happens when there's no regulation, it was called Trickle Down Economics, AKA Reaganomics in the 80s. The idea being that if you let the major players do whatever they want and get bigger that it benefits everyone.
A sound idea in theory, but in practice as we learned from Reaganomics it doesn't work. All Trickle Down Economics did was make the rich more powerful while the lower and middle class got nothing in return.
Without any kind of regulation you get a cyberpunk dystopia. Just look at South Korea, where Samsung has market dominance over pretty much every industry there, even having seats in the government.
We're not talking phone manufacturers, but mobile operating systems. In the early days of smartphones we had competition. Besides iOS and Android there was Windows Phone and FireOS, both of which were unfortunately shortlived due to the fact they did not have the app libraries that iOS and Android had with how late to market they were, and both costed Microsoft and Amazon billions. Your only choice for a mobile OS is either iOS on iPhone, or a different flavor of Android. That's not competition, that's a duopoly. Either be at the mercy of Apple with their OS app distribution guidelines, or at the mercy of Google's.
See again above the fallacy of trickle down economics.
He was the Keymaster.
The first point is an observation, it has both pros and cons. It isn't necessarily a problem without a lot more details.The problem is:
So the solution for both is simple: Just allow alternatives like they do on macOS. That's it. That's all they gotta do. A simple problem with a simple solution that Apple does not want to do as it means their app store monopoly is a *little* bit smaller.
- App distribution on iOS/iPadOS locked to a single app store that Apple controls with no other way to get apps, which under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) marks them as a gatekeeper and they must rectify this by allowing alternatives to the Apple App Store on iOS, similarly to how they do on macOS
- WebKit being the only web engine allowed on iOS. (Chrome and FireFox on iOS are just UI skins, as they're still forced to use WebKit which defeats the entire point of using Chrome or FireFox, as people want Chromium and FireFox Quantum, not WebKit) Remember when Microsoft got in trouble for pulling that stunt back in the 90s with United States of America vs Microsoft?
It's not just the EU. Japan also approved similar measures and they will be forcing Apple to allow alternative app distribution as well, and in Japan Apple has a landslide dominance over any other competitor there of almost 70%. Like it's not even close. You gonna tell Apple to stop selling their products there too when they have overwhelming market dominance?
Why? This change benefits consumers as now iOS would have competition in app distribution, and competition breeds innovation. The only people this doesn't benefit...is Apple. Curious. 🤔
You can just choose not to sideload you know. Just like on Android, sideloading is completely optional and can be turned on and off with a toggle in settings. You can stay with the Apple App Store and never touch any alternatives should you so choose to.
Yes adding alternatives to app distribution and other web engines on iOS and other proconsumer measures is a "power grab by the elites." I guess forcing Apple to switch to USB-C on the iPhone, a move millions have begged for, was also a power grab?
My "smart" TV, car, etc also have a single source of "apps" but apparently that is not sufficient to qualify as "gatekeepers" even by this law.
So…
What’s going to prevent apple from charging for the SDKs? For the iOS App Store, you can use Xcode and such for free since they can recoup the Investments through their App Store fees.
But if we’re considering third party app stores, are they expected to give away the SDKs for free?
If I was apple, I would at least charge a reasonable subscription fee/revshare for Xcode and such that is waived if the user publishes exclusively in the App Store.
Like what Epic Games is doing 😄
What’s going to prevent apple from charging for the SDKs? For the iOS App Store, you can use Xcode and such for free since they can recoup the Investments through their App Store fees.
But if we’re considering third party app stores, are they expected to give away the SDKs for free?
If I was apple, I would at least charge a reasonable subscription fee/revshare for Xcode and such that is waived if the user publishes exclusively in the App Store.
Like what Epic Games is doing 😄
I am from Europe, and initial question had 0 derogatory connotations.
Your attempt to play reverse uno card and derail conversation towards US debt, that has nothing to do with this topic, is however offensive to any individual with a working brain.
You're trying to argue that shareware was just as successful for small developers as the App Store? That's what I mean when I say the EU is ignoring the actual history. Shareware wasn't even remotely on par in terms of distribution and revenue generated.
The reality of the App Store is that the most common complaint is that there are TOO MANY developers and apps in the store and that Apple needs to be more selective.
Apparently not the freedom to install any app you want, or to use non-Safari browser engines, or for apps to link to alternative payment methods, etc.
No it doesn't, because Smart TVs and cars are a highly competitive market. Same with game consoles. There are numerous different options for Infotainment packages or feature services on TVs and cars that there is no definitive TV or car.
On phones you have iOS or Android. That's it. Either choose the fruit flavored phone or the other one. No inbetween. That's a duopoly.
I have the same issue with EU regulation of tech that I do with USA regulation of tech. These people don't know what they are doing. Fortunately, the USA government generally can't get anything done.
The ios app store is "open enough" that there is a reasonableness to that policy and not solely as a power grab by Apple. Even if it weren't an architecture I would choose, it is justifiable as it simplifies/stabilizes the ecosystem over time in a number of ways.
You aren't the derogatory Police.
I can find something derogatory that you don't.
Your signature says Illinois.. that wouldn't be in USA would it?
Freedom to install any app you want? FYI: it's the developer that determines which platforms they support. Links to alternative payment methods? Not necessary if you look at what actually happened in the real world. Companies like Netflix, Spotify and Amazon were entirely successful in having their customers pay by internet instead of through the App Store.
The whole Microsoft anti-trust suits are the real reason that Microsoft made the deal with Apple and Steve Jobs, Microsoft knew they had to have some kind of real competition and Apple was about to go belly up.
Just reiterating my concern here from an earlier thread.
I recently had to help a friend remove an app from his android phone that allowed his wife to track his location, listen in on his microphone, read his text messages, record his calls... this app was able to be sideloaded onto the device and all she needed was his phone's password. Nothing warned him because nothing was out of place.
The way iOS works nowadays, that app would never be allowed on the app store (just like google would never allow it on play store), and the person trying to install it would need to jailbreak your iPhone in order to load it - a process that takes time and often breaks on software updates. It also reveals itself elsewhere, where banking apps and MDM apps stop working because your device is compromised.
The nanosecond you can sideload software onto your iPhone, the threat plane for this stuff expands dramatically. And unless they provide rock-solid ways to lock the device down beyond simple passcodes or face ID to reject all non-app store software, or some very strong visual indicators that non-validated stuff has been installed... one of the actual security advantages of iOS goes away.
I recently had to help a friend remove an app from his android phone that allowed his wife to track his location, listen in on his microphone, read his text messages, record his calls... this app was able to be sideloaded onto the device and all she needed was his phone's password. Nothing warned him because nothing was out of place.
The way iOS works nowadays, that app would never be allowed on the app store (just like google would never allow it on play store), and the person trying to install it would need to jailbreak your iPhone in order to load it - a process that takes time and often breaks on software updates. It also reveals itself elsewhere, where banking apps and MDM apps stop working because your device is compromised.
The nanosecond you can sideload software onto your iPhone, the threat plane for this stuff expands dramatically. And unless they provide rock-solid ways to lock the device down beyond simple passcodes or face ID to reject all non-app store software, or some very strong visual indicators that non-validated stuff has been installed... one of the actual security advantages of iOS goes away.
The game console market is literally three total competitors: Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.
Also, the "duopoly" of the smartphone market is really just the OS. There are more than two companies manufacturing smartphones. There are more than two companies selling apps. You might want to consider that the OS part is a lot more difficult than the manufacturing or app programming part.
I really don't see this legislation as being EU vs US per se, as I think many of these provisions would make also sense for the US to implement. Indeed, this kind of legislative approach seems to be largely beneficial to Apple and others in that it sets the rules of the game very clearly when compared to the antitrust investigations.
At some point I feel the US will need to work out how to address the tech giants - the fact they have their HQ in California doesn't really change the fact that a small number of companies have an enormous influence on the lives of almost every US citizen and there is not always alignment between the corporate and public interest. The lack of a federal privacy law seems a bit nuts from this side of the Pond.
At some point I feel the US will need to work out how to address the tech giants - the fact they have their HQ in California doesn't really change the fact that a small number of companies have an enormous influence on the lives of almost every US citizen and there is not always alignment between the corporate and public interest. The lack of a federal privacy law seems a bit nuts from this side of the Pond.
If all you look for is derogatory statements, of course you will find only them. Kind of makes you “derogatory police”.
I am from Europe, although living in US. What a plot twist, right?
To those labelling the EU as the 'bad guy'; how would you feel if the Mac only had one App Store to obtain software from?
The fact is, you still have the choice to download software from where you prefer. If you want the security and quality of Apple's App Store - which I believe most will - then choose to download from there. It really is as simply as that.
The fact is, you still have the choice to download software from where you prefer. If you want the security and quality of Apple's App Store - which I believe most will - then choose to download from there. It really is as simply as that.
Ah, the comments section is exactly how I thought it would be.
You have multiple phone systems, multiple stores, multiple browsers. You're not relegated to any one particular anything.
They need to go after a lot of other products and services after this, then. A lot of manufacturers of everything and anything lock you in to their specific consumables, spare parts, stores, what not. How is Apple worse than HP who will literally brick your printer if it detects the ink is not made by HP? Or worse than Nestle with the Nescafe machines that lock you into using their own specific-designed capsules that nobody else can legally make? Digital markets are no different.
It’s good for the customer in the long-run, don’t let Apple and Google tell you otherwise, but it’s very much also just the EU being mad at US corporations for creating effective business models in a free market economy.
I’d love to be able to sideload and get my apps outside of the App Store because I want to support the developers without Apple taking a 30% cut because it’s a bit too greedy, but I wouldn’t expect Apple to provide those developers with tools like Swift, SwiftUI and all the frameworks that they develop for developers to benefit from for free. iOS is a great platform to develop for because Apple made it so, not regulations.
It’s good for the customer in the long-run, don’t let Apple and Google tell you otherwise, but it’s very much also just the EU being mad at US corporations for creating effective business models in a free market economy.
I’d love to be able to sideload and get my apps outside of the App Store because I want to support the developers without Apple taking a 30% cut because it’s a bit too greedy, but I wouldn’t expect Apple to provide those developers with tools like Swift, SwiftUI and all the frameworks that they develop for developers to benefit from for free. iOS is a great platform to develop for because Apple made it so, not regulations.
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Only if there is a requirement to stay in the AppStore. It’s only a choice if I can continue to get everything I get today from the AppStore.
How is Safari and iOS gatekeepers!? You could easily download Chrome and use Android...\
App Store, I understand.
App Store, I understand.