Apple Pushes Back Against India's New Digital Market Regulations

[turbineseaplane]

I think some people are incorrectly assuming more "security and safety" on iOS right now than they currently have

That's actually the most dangerous position in which to be...
You are most at risk when you're assuming security that isn't actually there

Vigilance is warranted on all platforms these days

 

[Aoligei]

It’s not fear mongering if it’s a truism.

It is not. Open platform doesn’t automatically means malware infestation. Closed walled garden doesn’t prevent phishing.

 

[Aoligei]

I think some people are incorrectly assuming more "security and safety" on iOS right now than they currently have

That's actually the most dangerous position in which to be...
You are most at risk when you're assuming security that isn't actually there

Vigilance is warranted on all platforms these days

Dangerous is real and one shod be stay vigilant.

With such gun murder rate, should we take gun away? With car death each year, should we ban everyone to drive?

The possibility of death once you step out your door increases, should you never leave your home?

 

[I7guy]

It is not. Open platform doesn’t automatically means malware infestation. Closed walled garden doesn’t prevent phishing.

One has nothing to do with another. An open platform will result in more phishing attempts and other anti-consumer behaviors.

 

[vipergts2207]

You can’t if an app you want/need isn’t published in the store you use.

Then find an alternative. Just like people complained about the Delta emulator not being available on the EU App Store, alternatives popped up on the iOS App Store in no time.

 

[The_Gream]

@jhfenton

I totally agree with your anger about Apple

They should have made proactive changes years ago to avoid all this regulation

A very frustrating own goal from Apple leadership here

As I am sure I have stated before, and I agree with you that a lot of what is going on is from a lack of being proactive.

Then again, most groups, governments included don’t try to be proactive ether. I remember as a kid, we could leave the doors unlocked. Keys in the car. And never worry about people taking stuff. Now days you better have like iron bars on your doors and windows and scan your car for unwanted trackers. If governments had been proactive in protecting the people and taking care of crime (providing proper education so people can afford to live), we wouldn’t have to have governments passing laws a decade after the fact to try to control something. We wouldn’t have had a 2nd world war. We wouldn’t have all the crap going on today.

So, yes, Apple should have been more proactive… but it seems they learned from the best. 😉

 

[mrochester]

Then find an alternative. Just like people complained about the Delta emulator not being available on the EU App Store, alternatives popped up on the iOS App Store in no time.

Great, so now I’m inconvenienced as a consumer.

 

[vipergts2207]

Great, so now I’m inconvenienced as a consumer.

Not any more inconvenienced than consumers who can't get apps they want under the status quo. Well, the status quo outside of the EU and soon India.

 

[mrochester]

Not any more inconvenienced than consumers who can't get apps they want under the status quo. Well, the status quo outside of the EU and soon India.

You aren’t inconvenienced because you’d own an android phone, not an iPhone, if that’s what you wanted to do.

 

[vipergts2207]

You aren’t inconvenienced because you’d own an android phone, not an iPhone, if that’s what you wanted to do.

Right, I would move my entire mobile ecosystem to Android. That's surely not inconvenient at all...

 

[mrochester]

Right, I would move my entire mobile ecosystem to Android. That's surely not inconvenient at all...

No need to move anything, you are already in the android ecosystem due to your requirement to side load.

Unless you are trying to say you didn’t research your purchase properly.

 

[vipergts2207]

No need to move anything, you are already in the android ecosystem due to your requirement to side load.

No because some people are able to grasp the simple concept that when making a purchasing decision there are often priorities placed on the myriad needs and wants to be fulfilled by the potential products being evaluated for purchase. Sometimes prioritizing one thing means you don't get something else and vice-versa. Of course, some people do not understand this and falsely assume that everyone bases their purchase on a single metric, like the possibility to sideload for instance. Perhaps some do this. Many do not.

 

[mrochester]

No because some people are able to grasp the simple concept that when making a purchasing decision there are often priorities placed on the myriad needs and wants to be fulfilled by the potential products being evaluated for purchase. Sometimes prioritizing one thing means you don't get something else and vice-versa. Of course, some people do not understand this and falsely assume that everyone bases their purchase on a single metric, like the possibility to sideload for instance. Perhaps some do. Many do not.

I do understand that, so it was clearly not an important aspect to you else you would have purchased an Android phone.

Your low priority feature shouldn’t trump other peoples high priority feature.

Although I suspect you think everything should be exactly as you want it to be, and to hell with everyone else and what they want.

 

[vipergts2207]

I do understand that, so it was clearly not an important aspect to you else you would have purchased an Android phone.

Your low priority feature shouldn’t trump other peoples high priority feature.

Oh good, so now that we've established that you do understand that many factors can go into a purchasing decision, perhaps we can now pick up where we left off and you can try to respond to the statement below while keeping that understanding in mind.

Right, I would move my entire mobile ecosystem to Android. That's surely not inconvenient at all...

 

[mrochester]

Oh good, so now that we've established that you do understand that many factors can go into a purchasing decision, perhaps we can now pick up where we left off.


Now respond to the above statement while keeping in mind the knowledge that we've established that you do in fact have regarding the complexity of some purchasing decisions.

I’m not the one asking for change.

Those wanting to change how things operate for everyone should be the ones who are inconvenienced. Not the people who didn’t ask for any of this.

You really need to think about other peoples perspective instead of just your own.

 

[vipergts2207]

Although I suspect you think everything should be exactly as you want it to be, and to hell with everyone else and what they want.

Personally, it's less about what I want and more about ensuring that the world's second largest corporation can't use its size and market position to bully smaller companies. Gaining the ability to sideload would be a welcome, though minor benefit to me.

 

[mrochester]

Personally, it's less about what I want and more about ensuring that the world's second largest corporation can't use its size and market position to bully smaller companies. Gaining the ability to sideload would be a welcome, though minor benefit to me.

Well let’s see some regulation that ensures that there are more mobile operating systems and ecosystems on the market then to solve that ‘problem’.

Apple wouldn’t be so big if there were more OSes and ecosystems competing with them.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

One has nothing to do with another. An open platform will result in more phishing attempts and other anti-consumer behaviors.

Phishing has nothing to do with platform openness, that's a social engineering issue. Closing a platform does not protect people from being scammed.

For anti-consumer behavior, we have to consider that you or I are probably not the 'consumer' in the eyes of these regulations. The software developers and vendors are. They are actively being exploited by Apple.

Where you or I could just pack up and move to an area with lower income tax; iPhone app developers have no such recourse.

 

[vipergts2207]

I’m not the one asking for change.

Those wanting to change how things operate for everyone should be the ones who are inconvenienced. Not the people who didn’t ask for any of this.

You really need to think about other peoples perspective instead of just your own.

Yes, woe is you. You might have to download app ABC instead of app XYZ to do the same thing. The travesty. Maybe you need some perspective.

Well let’s see some regulation that ensures that there are more mobile operating systems and ecosystems on the market then to solve that ‘problem’.

Your desired regulations won't work. Microsoft tried and failed twice to break into the market with their own OS. Why do you think other major potential players haven't tried? Do you think Meta and Amazon don't like making money or something? What you're proposing would actually give Apple the opportunity to become even more powerful than they already are and would seriously impact non-Apple smartphone manufactures. Do you think app developers are going to develop apps for new OS's with almost no market share in a mature market? They aren't going to waste their resources. Look at how few developers release games on Mac versus Windows for example and Mac has far more market share than a new mobile OS entrant would have.

When Apple came into the market and established itself, the market was in its infancy. When the iPhone came out, only 6% of people in the U.S. had a smartphone. Worldwide that figure would have been even lower. Apple didn't have to convince most of the population to switch to them from a smartphone that they may already like and potentially had many devices that it interoperates with along with potentially a bunch of apps they've already spent money on. They just had to convince people they needed this novel, powerful, and useful piece of tech. This was a relatively easy task comparatively speaking considering the capabilities the device had that most people would find exceedingly useful. Apple and Google benefitted from consumers essentially being a clean slate in the market. Now a new entrant to the market would have to convince people to use their new phone and OS that does basically the same things the one in their pocket already does and that would have nearly no third-party app or accessory support, which would be a deal breaker from the get go for most people.

"Most apps don't exist on this OS and the few that do I have to repurchase? This phone won't work with my smart thermostat and lights at home?? It won't display anything on my car's infotainment either??? No thank you!!"

That's largely how the thought process will go on the potential purchasing decision of a new phone and OS for consumers.

 

[ric22]

Well sure it is, just now there's a door instead of having to bust holes in the wall.

Does it scare you to use Windows or iOS, or does the fear only extend to handheld devices?

 

[I7guy]

Phishing has nothing to do with platform openness, that's a social engineering issue. Closing a platform does not protect people from being scammed.

For anti-consumer behavior, we have to consider that you or I are probably not the 'consumer' in the eyes of these regulations. The software developers and vendors are. They are actively being exploited by Apple.

Where you or I could just pack up and move to an area with lower income tax; iPhone app developers have no such recourse.

There is "no law" saying you have to be an iphone developer if it doesn't work for you.

 

[turbineseaplane]

If governments had been proactive in protecting the people and taking care of crime (providing proper education so people can afford to live), we wouldn’t have to have governments passing laws a decade after the fact to try to control something. We wouldn’t have had a 2nd world war. We wouldn’t have all the crap going on today.

I think the lack of proactive actions now are mostly a function of the people being obsessed with "smaller government" and "everything government does is bad" and "leave it to the market!"

A lot of lobbying and narrative crafting by private industry has successfully duped many people into thinking everything government does is "bad"

 

[The_Gream]

I think the lack of proactive actions now are mostly a function of the people being obsessed with "smaller government" and "everything government does is bad" and "leave it to the market!"

A lot of lobbying and narrative crafting by private industry has successfully duped many people into thinking everything government does is "bad"

Yes. Yet, I believe there is still a lot of things a government can do that doesn’t make them big government. I keep thinking about the opening of the Declaration of Independence, where it mentions people have inalienable rights, but it only list three, leaving any other inalienable rights up to the government to define and defend.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Yes. Yet, I believe there is still a lot of things a government can do that doesn’t make them big government.

I totally agree!

The problem remains all the people (many of whom are IN government at this point) indoctrinated with the mantra of "only the market"....blah blah blah

Loads of corporate brainwashing has done us in

I still come across people who think Trickle Down Economics is actually a thing that works..
"I'm like ... umm.. we have the data my friend. You need to update your views from 40 years ago"

 

[ProbablyDylan]

There is "no law" saying you have to be an iphone developer if it doesn't work for you.

No, but if my app is my business, I effectively have to address iPhone customers.

My choice is to be taken advantage of by Apple, or simply not participate in that market segment. I want to serve as many customers as I can, which means I don't actually have a choice.