Obviously disagreement over what government should be doing. Like death and taxes, which you can’t do anything about, to some regions this crappy legislation will be enacted.
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French Court Levies Fine Against Apple for Abusive App Store Practices
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Unfortunately Google and Apple have colluded so much that there isn't really any real choice. This is why both need regulating.
Generally speaking, I'm not in favor of regulation. But Apple is abusive in this area. As I wrote earlier, I have no problem with the commission part of the equation. It's the gatekeeper part that is problematic. We've already seen the effects in China. The Chinese government says jump and Apple asks how high. If you're someone in China who relied on one of those apps that the Chinese government required Apple to pull from the store, it's just tough luck I guess? And what happens when the US passes some kind of law and then requires Apple to pull certain apps? Having a single gatekeeper creates a massive point of failure (not to mention CONTROL) and is ultimately antithetical to freedom.
By that same argument, nobody's putting a gun to Apple's head and saying they must do business in France, and any other sovereignty where they don't like the rules. Apple is free to leave those markets.
The second that Apple opened the App Store to 3rd party developers, they created the iOS app market, and they opened themselves up to legal market regulation. iOS app market exists, and developers are free to develop for that market and Apple is legally required to play nice. You're seeing governments around the world coming after Apple because they're not playing nice, and it's on Apple to do so. It doesn't matter that for some reason you think "Apple's Store, Apple's Rules", because that's not how it works. Anywhere.
I don’t agree. To each our own views!
Fair enough, but why don't you agree? Are you saying that the App Store isn't a single point of failure? That it can't be used to control what users have access to? That it can't be used to yank the rug out from under users when some government says "pull these apps"?
I must say, I find it ironic that you defend a business model that has already been used to stifle freedom in certain countries with a signature like yours. 🤯
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Lots of people over on the other thread took more issue with the EU digital markets act than Apple modifying Airdrop so that it couldn't be used by protesters in China. Very sad.
Sad indeed, but hardly surprising. I don't think enough people have thought through the gatekeeper side of the equation, especially people in the west where it frankly hasn't impacted them. Apple essentially has a kill switch for any app or service you use on your device. If they want to make an app go away, for whatever reason, it's effortless. This is unbelievably problematic and should be the focus of the discussion when it comes to the App Store.
Same logic applies there, because Apple isn't forcing them to be software developers either, and even if you could argue that they were already software developers when Apple took over the mobile app market, every software developer knows that mobile apps is only a small part of all software that's developed. In fact, these days lots of iOS developers I know are jumping over to web development, not because of anything Apple is doing, but just because that's where the jobs are.
Unless hackers exploit an undisclosed security vulnerability and install anyways, en masse.
This is just a warning. Next fine will be bigger. Also it’s luckily that other countries will follow suit until the EU gets involved as a whole. Apple will be forced to change its policies on the App Store, it’s just a matter of time.
You risk being controversial out of making too much sense around here…
So, you are happy with the decision you have made on your own and enjoy the ecosystem? Well, just like out of the blue someone shuffles the hallways in the supermarket as soon as the most optimal groceries path is devised, these people and some around here want to shuffle the far from actually broken ecosystem in place.
This isn't the political forum, so we really can't get into it, however with your logic, sideloading and 3rd party app stores without control can be used for anything including illegal activities. So it's a double edged sword. But as I said to each their own, I don't expect those with opposite views to convince anybody of their position.
This is the new normal, when greedy governments want a payday they just sue apple for an amount that apple is like meh yeah ok. Drop in the ocean until the next time.
The 1m fine establishes that Apple is guilty and puts it on notice. As the article says, the fine is minuscule and could lead to changes, which is the ultimate goal of the government.
The French are Pissed Off our Wine in California is Better than theirs!
What does France make that we want? Nothing!
What does France make that we want? Nothing!
That's fair and I certainly don't want to push this in a political direction. Philosophical yes, political no. A single gatekeeper can flip a switch. It might be a democracy forcing them to do it. It might be a totalitarian regime. If we allow the gatekeeper model to gain traction, to become the norm, we will soon see a world where only a handful of large corporations control whatever users can do with their devices, what information they see, etc. It's dangerous and it's antithetical to freedom. I like freedom.
I personally don't think Apple should have the right to tell a developer he or she can't develop a porn app (which is hilarious considering all of the grimy hookup apps they allow that have contributed massively to the rise in STDs, but I digress). Nor do I think Apple should have the right to tell me, as a customer, what kind of app I'm allowed to install on the device I paid for. For me it isn't about "you have a choice, go buy an Android", it's about Apple's behavior being immoral, anti-choice, anti-freedom. I don't think any of us should cheerlead such a business model and I'm glad to see some governments pushing back. I look forward to the inevitable end of the App Store monopoly.
As for convincing anyone of a different position, if you believe that's impossible, why even participate in a discussion? Just to cheerlead or live in a echo chamber? I'm open to being convinced that my position is wrong, but I don't see you articulating any counterpoints. Of course if your point of view simply boils down to your wanting a gatekeeper who decides what you're allowed to do, see, etc., then yes, we probably won't convince each other of anything!
We invented democracy, existentialism, and the ménage à trois.
Amount is very small for Apple. But the changes required due to the ruling may be huge.
You might get yourself familiar with unattended software install, but for malicious purposes. iOS does all sorts of things in the background, and assuming a security vulnerability is found and good enough, technically the malware can trigger itself with the help of a system process. I’m not saying above hypothetical scenario Happened before or will happen, I’m saying installing and launching malware without user interaction is always part of the goal when designing malware to work on electronic devices.
Remember that time in 2019 that Apple decided that apps for vapes/e-cigs could no longer exist?
I don't personally vape. I think that an app-controlled vape is a dumb idea. Even though the User and Developer want to do a transaction, new App Store rules decided they cannot. Having alternatives to the App Store removes the need for Apple to be the moral gatekeeper of app content.
Apple has shown they are willing & able to change the App Store rules however they like. Feel free to repeat the example with any kind of app that is objectionable in various countries, or might become objectionable in the future due to changing public opinion.