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The EU doesn't care how many apps are deployed outside of the app store. Even if zero are sideloaded it isn't the point. The point is the consumer, and the app developer, should have that choice. It shouldn't be forced on them by Daddy Apple.
I think you missed my point. luckily Apple is dragging their feet so that customer adoption outside App Store will be low and therefore less companies will likely leave the App Store.
 
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Well, so much for the assertions in this forum how clever Apple was in finding they only had to allow either sideloading or alternative application stores.

…yet.

“In addition, the Commission has opened a market investigation to further assess whether Apple's iPadOS should be designated as gatekeeper, despite not meeting the thresholds. Under the DMA, this investigation should be completed within a maximum of 12 months.”

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_4328

My loss.
 
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Choice is only good when there are different benefits for each choice. This “choice” gives no benefit for the mainstream customer. All it does is take away their one-stop shop. It causes inconvenience and adds new venerabilities. It only benefits a small percentage of customers (techies) who want apps not allowed in the App Store. By far it more benefits developers who don’t want to be beholden to Apple. In other words, this is a choice for developers, not customers.

Very few developers (like Epic) have an app that is so must-have that users would seriously go through the hoops to sideload. Meta will never pull their apps from the App Store even if it means they'd make an extra 15% on IAPs because it would mean the number of folks who use their apps would tank. It's bad enough that users have to go to the App Store to download the app in the first place - most people don't bother with that. Look at how low Thread's adoption has been after it's initial bang. Nobody is bothering to download the app in the "one stop shop".

Outside of those special cases, sideloading is mostly for apps that are outside of what Apple would approve. And yes adoption for those will be very low.

So I am not sure why people are making such a big deal about this. Who is harmed by this?
 
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People will downvote you but the reality for most users is anything that isn't nearly automatic will cause most people to freeze and not take the extra step to complete. I see this day in and out for 1000's of users for the most simplest of tasks. Anyone posting here does not understand the success of the app store is in this simplicity.
I was going to make a similar argument. The reason the App Store blew the doors off the market is because it ISN’T like macOS. It’s MORE accessible by normal people.
 
Exactly what type of a "ruling" are you looking for? Apple seems to have mostly chosen to change their behavior and abide by the laws including allowing sideloading, alternative app stores, alternative browser engines, etc. The potential need for a ruling would come if Apple continued to refuse to follow a law, it led to a trial, etc. Time will tell how things will play out.
The dma sidestepped a finding and declared “gatekeeper”.
Apple is a major player in the mobile OS market and that's what is relevant here.
Yes among the hundreds of others.
 
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The EU doesn't care how many apps are deployed outside of the app store. Even if zero are sideloaded it isn't the point. The point is the consumer, and the app developer, should have that choice. It shouldn't be forced on them by Daddy Apple.
Only problem with that argument is that people lose the choice of a closed mobile ecosystem.

currently the choice is/was

1.). Open mobile ecosystem - android
2.). Closed mobile ecosystem - iPhone.

you increase the choice within iPhone but at the expense of the choice for the consumer of choosing a closed mobile ecosystem.

if you choose android and only use Google Play Store then you are still on an Open Mobile Ecosystem.

you call Apple the Daddy whilst ignoring the fact that the EU is now telling any users that chose Apple because of the closed mobile ecosytem that their opinion and choice doesn’t matter and that even though they chose and paid for a closed mobile ecosystem they can no longer have it. They are forcing an open mobile ecosystem onto consumers that chose a closed mobile ecosystem.

they say this about consumer choice however is only for consumers that already made the choice to purchase an iPhone, whilst stripping the Choice for consumers who want and choose to buy a closed mobile.

if apple is the daddy in saying if you CHOOSE to buy an iPhone it is locked down then what is the EU in saying we are going to REMOVE your choice of a closed system completely.

you can say i don’t have to use the alt app stores, alt payment, side loading however they are still there and make the system an open mobile ecosystem, whereas I specifically chose Apple due to its closed nature.

prior to the EU’s actions then consumers could weigh up Apples close system, vs androids open system and make a choice to purchase an iPhone or buy an alternative.

if people don’t like the closed mobile ecosystem that apple offers then the consumer has a choice not to purchase it. Of course they may decide that whilst they don’t like the closed system, then the downsides to android outweigh the closed system, however that is for the consumer to choose surely.

devs have a choice not to develop for iOS, however figures show that iOS users spend more money on apps then android users hence why apple gets way more of the app revenue then android mobile companies do. this is why devs want to target iOS as more chance that the consumers will purchase and spend money on the app.

people say that apple needs the devs in which case if devs stop developing for iOS then short term they will take a hit however if the apps are not their for iOS then consumers will surely stop purchasing iPhones and so Apple will give them devs better terms to get them to develop on iOS.

after all Apple cannot force devs to develop apps for iPhone can they.

if the people that would have bought iPhones then buy android then will, they still not buy the App on Android instead of having purchased on iPhone.

for the developer surely that is win/win as the consumer will purchase their app anyway.
 
Cute. they can open up 10000 ways for app distribution, advertising, subscriptions and sales.

As long as they need to sign and approve them or get ‘notarised’ they are still gate keeping and in breach with the DMA and the EU will come after that.

They clearly don’t understand the word ‘gate keeping’, which is why DMA exists 😁
 
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“Just don’t sell your app on the most popular platform in a number of countries. Look at all the choice you have”.
But if apps make the platform then surely by devs not developing on iOS then users will not choose iOS because lack of apps.

at that point devs will either get better terms from Apple or Apple pulls out of market and devs sell the App instead on Android to the user.

Win/Win for the developer surely?
 
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I've heard this argument and yet I don't understand why it's an argument.

It's Apple's platform and they can design each one as they like. It's not like Apple employed a bate-and-switch tactic here, but rather the platform grew to over a billion users being exactly like this the whole time.

Suggesting platform 2 needs to be like platform 1 is like saying saying you need to let me wear shoes in your new home because you let me wear them in your old home.
exactly

iOS been the way it has since launch in that Apple looked to keep closed and under control.

if want to argue that MacOS allows this then iOS being closed since launch is also valid.
 
How is that different from an app developer choosing which platforms to support with their app?

There only two major mobile OS platforms available, iOS being one of them. Apple has been restricting app access competition on a major and lucrative segment of the mobile OS market. Opening up iOS to sideloading and alternative app stores therefore opens up app access CHOICE and COMPETITION in that major segment of the mobile OS market that wasn't allowed before.
 
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