Department of Justice and FTC Looking Into Beeper iMessage Controversy

[Michael Scrip]

The first iPhone was essentially a copy of WebOS before it. It was hardly the first.

The first iPhone that came out in 2007 is essentially a copy of WebOS that came out in 2009...

Well that's one I've never heard before!

 

[MNGR]

Yes and Apple will respond they plan to integrate RCS into Messages which will have similar features as iMessage when an iPhone and Android phone text each other. Like I've said as an Android user I'd prefer to be able to use the stock Google Messages app and have full featured texting regardless of platform. RCS with SMS fallback does that. A standalone iMessage app doesn't.

But Google’s SMS is it’s own flavor

 

[ozaz]

But Google’s SMS is it’s own flavor

SMS was standardized decades ago, so I guess you're referring to RCS not SMS.

Saying Google uses its own flavor of RCS is a bit misleading. Google uses the RCS Universal Profile standard for the core features (which covers most features). This is also what Apple will use, so they will interoperable on these features. Google just adds some extra features on top for communications between Google Messages, and it's only these extra features which won't be interoperable with Apple Messages.

 

[SactoGuy18]

I'm not sure if the FTC should pursue this, given the iOS will soon support GSMA-compliant RCS messaging.

 

[Alameda]

I have an idea. Lets bring in the corrupt bureaucrats with no understanding of technology to resolve this. Brilliant!

Respectfully… what does that mean? There are two sides to this dispute, and you’re writing as if “everybody knows there’s only one solution, so I won’t even tell you what it is.”

My personal opinion is that iMessage belongs to Apple, it uses their servers, and opening it to third parties will (imo) inevitably lead to a flood of unsolicited messages and other headaches which I don’t want. Someone with an Android can send me a green message.

 

[Alameda]

Why would interoperability be better between seven different companies? If Apple were broken up, they would be seven separate companies.

Right now an iPad and an iPhone can interoperate - shared clipboard, Handoff etc. You'd be in a worse position than you are right now because Company A making iPads and iPadOS can't know what Company B making iPhones and iOS is going to put into the new version of iOS. Things will very quickly get out of sync, and nothing will work together.

Besides, we're already in that situation. Can I send a message from WhatsApp on my iPhone to Telegram on my Mum's Windows machine? Can my brother send a Signal message to Facebook Messenger? Why not? Because those are different companies, and they've all created their own apps and systems, and why should they be forced to interoperate when their technologies are supposed to be different?

Let's force all car manufacturers to make exactly the same cars. No one should be allowed to pay more for a 'better' car! I want the features of the really excellent, amazing car in my little poot-poot box on wheels! Waaah.

Oh, and "Build it all in America"?! No! Some of it should be built in Iceland, some in Portugal, some in Kenya, some in Brazil, because every country should be allowed to interoperate...

My whole family uses Apple’s ecosystem. My son was last; he just got a MacBook after his Dell died in 18 months. (Pro Tip: Many Chase credit cards add a year of warranty to your purchase, which covered the broken Dell).

There are a million ways to sync documents, notes and calendars. Obviously, there’s Google and Microsoft, for starters. I choose Apple’s system, I like it, and I don’t want an anti-trust regulator to screw it up.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Yes and Apple will respond they plan to integrate RCS into Messages which will have similar features as iMessage when an iPhone and Android phone text each other. Like I've said as an Android user I'd prefer to be able to use the stock Google Messages app and have full featured texting regardless of platform. RCS with SMS fallback does that. A standalone iMessage app doesn't.

Apple want to keep the blue/green bubble racism that I hear pervades the US. That is the biggest issue, as far as I can see. That sort of user prejudice prevents a lot of users from switching to Android.

 

[bcortens]

Apple want to keep the blue/green bubble racism that I hear pervades the US. That is the biggest issue, as far as I can see. That sort of user prejudice prevents a lot of users from switching to Android.

The problem of message ecosystem lock in is much much harder to solve than this implies. Switching between messaging systems would require not only a messaging independent method of identity (so that you don't have to ask all of your contacts for their new contact info in the new messaging system), but also a way to bring your existing open conversations to a new system (not necessarily the message history of the conversation but the participants so that you don't have to remember all of the names of people you were talking to).

Another option is of course requiring interoperability so that people can message from one client to another. I'm not sure that it is possible to fully enable interoperability given that the different messaging platforms want to offer exclusive features and capabilities to help compete with one another. How you make it possible to have a group conversation with people using different messaging systems while allowing those different systems to offer unique features is a hard problem.

 

[Alameda]

Apple want to keep the blue/green bubble racism that I hear pervades the US. That is the biggest issue, as far as I can see. That sort of user prejudice prevents a lot of users from switching to Android.

Racism?
There are people in this world who suffer from actual racism. Maybe have a little empathy for their plight instead of comparing it to which smartphone they buy.

 

[InvertedGoldfish]

Governments sure seem salty towards Apple


They don’t like their encryption much, and want to force them into allowing side loading of apps


I’m sure it’s all just for our benefit 😂


Now when Apple does shady stuff they costs people their 4 figure phones by making them slow, Apple gets a slap on the wrist, a slap that’s so light they still make huge profits off tricking people to “upgrade” Think they paid people in Canada like $150 Canadian each, so like $110USD, so even after the judgement it takes them from a 120% mark up to just a 100% markup….

How Much Profit Does Apple Make Per iPhone? - FourWeekMBA

It costs Apple $501 to make an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the company sells it at a base price of $1099. This makes Apple's base markup on the latest iPhone model at 119% Apple is the only tech company able to sell its tech products at a such a premium, thanks to a combination of hardware, software...

fourweekmba.com

But what really gets government in a frenzy is their encryption and not being able to sideload apps…

Hmm, yeah I’m sure all this selective regulation is for our benefit…