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EU Provisionally Agrees on Law That Would Force Apple to Allow Alternative App Stores, Sideloading, and iMessage Interoperability
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I, for one, don't really mind having to use multiple messaging clients.
The reason I worry about forcing all messaging apps to be interoperable is because it is almost certain to create a lowest common denominator behavior and stifle innovation.
Just look how much innovation there has been around the open standards of email and SMS vs messaging apps.
Tl;dr - Interoperability is a nice convenience to have, but losing innovation is too high a price to pay for it, imo.
Yes MMS was a fine example of a design by committee interoperable steaming pile of excrement.
Realistically everyone just uses WhatsApp here if you have to talk to someone who doesn’t have an iPhone, which is decreasing rapidly (I only know one person with an android phone now)
Given this is an Apple centric forum, many people see this proposed legislation as mainly directed at Apple, but I think it is not. Google, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter and the likes will most likely also be heavily affected by it, and this is quite intentional.
It's not just Apple trying to lock in their users.
EU seems to be a little anti-American, or pro-taxes when it comes to US tech. Perhaps we should make onerous new rules for French wines, Gucci bags, and Mercedes-Benz
While they're at it, can they add allowing users to downgrade/choose the firmware compatible for the hardware with no time limits or unsigning the old iOS version? I know that it's gonna be performance vs compatibility but there are others that also want this...
EDIT: So there's a settlement for customers who paid for iCloud between 2015 and 2016 but I am not eligible since I only paid for iCloud since 2018/2019...
Some iCloud users to receive payout after Apple settles class action for $14.8 million
Williams v. Apple Inc. lawsuit website
EDIT: So there's a settlement for customers who paid for iCloud between 2015 and 2016 but I am not eligible since I only paid for iCloud since 2018/2019...
Some iCloud users to receive payout after Apple settles class action for $14.8 million
Williams v. Apple Inc. lawsuit website
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If the pendulum hadn't swung so far in Apple's favor for such a long time, NONE of this would be necessary !
Apple simply should have "significantly" reduced their cut when the "Race to the Bottom" occurred, just a few AFTER their App Store went live !
I still think they might, as a compromise solution !
Apple simply should have "significantly" reduced their cut when the "Race to the Bottom" occurred, just a few AFTER their App Store went live !
I still think they might, as a compromise solution !
Hmm… that’s actually not a bad idea! Although a common standard already exists- SMS/MMS. Maybe Apple could comply by allowing apps other than iMessage to be an SMS/MMS client and say they are “interoperable” that way. Although they still would have issues if other chat apps didn’t integrate that functionality. But if the EU actually wants Apple to change the protocol so they can fit with all other chat apps- that’s insane. At that point Apple should just pull iMessage from the EU. Wouldn’t even be such a big deal because it’s mostly used in the Anglosphere.
This sounds like trumpist america first talk.
The regulations mentioned in the article are directed at all large corporations, not just US based ones.
And btw Mercedes Benz actually builds cars in the USA, did you know?
Perhaps Apple will start charging for the use of Xcode. Years ago, you had to pay to use Metrowerks CodeWarrior to develop on Apple. Then Apple made their own language and provide all the software tools to developers. Now it seems the EU is forcing Apple to provide these tools for free, and get no part of the profit from apps, so why should Apple make any effort to keep the development tools bug-free and up-to-date? They can keep the good tools for their own staff and give crap development tools to the public.
The last part - not true.
But in a way iMessage already is compatible with any phone. Whatever contact I have in my address book (with a mobile phone number that is) I can text to with iMessage. Cannot say the same thing for WA or Signal.
Xcode used to be part of the paid Apple Developer Program, no free downloads for everyone.
And it could go back to that, or even licenses being required for the tools.
Personally, I like the current approach better, with a low barrier to enter the App development arena, lower fees for small developers starting to make money, and taking a bigger cut from the big players.
Yes and that’s exactly a great example of the EU regulations causing more trouble or increasing cost of living through well intentioned regulation.
I never had issues with pop ups until the EU regulation came in as I used popup blockers.
But now literally every website I go to has bloody annoying pop ups and some sites won’t service the UK anymore as they don’t want to comply. No matter the intention, it’s made my life more annoying.
As usual, a complete overreach by the EU. Aren't most of the third-party browsers these days built upon Chromium (or whatever)? All this would result in is a different company gaining a monopoly over the internet. First it was Microsoft (Internet Explorer) and now it'll be Google (Chrome/whatever). Brilliant legislation!
Also, why cripple iMessage. I agree Apple should support the Google SMS model with a different text colour maybe, green, blue and red? But to make platforms interoperate when they've built a product themselves that works great is absurd. You're basically saying, innovate until you're amazing, and then we'll destroy your product because you're too amazing. Are they going to target Adobe? They've got a stranglehold on the market with their software.
I can totally see where they're coming from, but this is going to essentially lead to hacked iPhones... maybe the plan?
What I would hope is that Apple allows a toggle on iPhones if this comes into law, basically to say you accept Apple's model, or you're on your own. If you toggle to sideload and whatever else and you get hacked, it's not technically an Apple device anymore, it's an EU-compromised device. Wait for the growing issues to arise as I'm sure they will and then make loads of lovely ads showing just what the EU has done to a once great a secure eco-system. The EU wont care of course, and will probably fine Apple for pointing out the problems the EU created, but this whole thing is ridiculous.
And I'm sure there are many more long established industries that haven't been subjected to this control.
Also, why cripple iMessage. I agree Apple should support the Google SMS model with a different text colour maybe, green, blue and red? But to make platforms interoperate when they've built a product themselves that works great is absurd. You're basically saying, innovate until you're amazing, and then we'll destroy your product because you're too amazing. Are they going to target Adobe? They've got a stranglehold on the market with their software.
I can totally see where they're coming from, but this is going to essentially lead to hacked iPhones... maybe the plan?
What I would hope is that Apple allows a toggle on iPhones if this comes into law, basically to say you accept Apple's model, or you're on your own. If you toggle to sideload and whatever else and you get hacked, it's not technically an Apple device anymore, it's an EU-compromised device. Wait for the growing issues to arise as I'm sure they will and then make loads of lovely ads showing just what the EU has done to a once great a secure eco-system. The EU wont care of course, and will probably fine Apple for pointing out the problems the EU created, but this whole thing is ridiculous.
And I'm sure there are many more long established industries that haven't been subjected to this control.
If I wanted Android...I'd have bought an Android device. No.
Love to see the EU finally fixing Apple's app store monopoly!
If this doesn't come to the US, I'll import a Euro iPhone. Apple DOES NOT have the right to control what apps I put on MY iPhone.
If this doesn't come to the US, I'll import a Euro iPhone. Apple DOES NOT have the right to control what apps I put on MY iPhone.
They have market share AND profits. I'm not ceding one more inch to Android devices or the platform if I'm Apple. If people what commoditized devices and phone OSes, they have that choice. The rest of us don't and we're willing to pay. a premium to avoid that state of being.
Just because capitalism produces awesome things doesn't mean it doesn't also produce garbage. But nice cherry-picking though. Unfettered capitalism can lead to a version of dystopia not all that different from communism, it just tends to look shinier. Instead of governments controlling every aspect of your life, corporations do. Government needs to be able to reign in the excesses of corporate control and greed.
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It’s more than just where you set up your device as far as I understand. E.g.: if you buy an Apple Watch in a country where ECG isn’t activated, even if you moved somewhere else where it is and set up as new, it still won’t activate the feature despite having the hardware to do it. Probably tied to the serial number or something.
As discussed previously in this thread, importing a Euro phone will most likely not help, since all this new "openness" will be a software thing anyway. Especially with a phone where you select a (US based) carrier, it will be hard to pretend you are based in EU with your EU phone. Notwithstanding problems with network frequencies and other minor details.
But anyway, what I don't get in all these discussions about freedom of choice and the closed Apple eco system is that there are people who, from all the hundreds of available phones out there, pick an iPhone with it's walled garden approach, and then complain about exactly this one point that sets Apple's product apart from the competition.
Following the discussions here, it seems Apple is not ahead in display tech, upgradability, camera quality, or even user experience. So why not just get a non-iPhone if you don't want the one feature that sets iPhone apart from the rest?
Clearly, it's an easy way to make big tech companies share their profits with these politicians. Most of these countries are desperately trying to replenish their budgets in the middle of a global financial crisis. The timing of this so-called proposal couldn't be more convenient.