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Because a non-WebKit browser app could choose to make any iOS function that is available to apps also available to web applications, which in turn would allow to implement web applications with basically the same functionality and platform integration as native applications. This, in turn, would deprive Apple of revenue from their App Store.
Another explanation - perhaps less cynical - is that Apple is trying to have control over all code that runs on the device in order to provide better security. If browsers are forced to use he Apple engine, all Javascript being loaded by the browser gets run under Apple's control. If browsers use their own engines, Apple loses that control/oversight. You may argue whether Apple actually does any security checking on the Javascript it runs, but you can't argue how controlling code execution can have security benefits. This is also the reason Apple didn't allow the Java VM onto the iOS platform.
 
Another explanation - perhaps less cynical - is that Apple is trying to have control over all code that runs on the device in order to provide better security. If browsers are forced to use he Apple engine, all Javascript being loaded by the browser gets run under Apple's control. If browsers use their own engines, Apple loses that control/oversight. You may argue whether Apple actually does any security checking on the Javascript it runs, but you can't argue how controlling code execution can have security benefits. This is also the reason Apple didn't allow the Java VM onto the iOS platform.

Ok - but why do we also silo out iOS and forget about macOS?

The same Apple has a desktop OS that is filled with consumer choice and it's not some insecure wasteland of theft, piracy, scamming and the like

Why do we always talk about iOS as if macOS doesn't exist and work wonderfully for millions of consumers?
 
While support for alternative browser engines sounds like a win for browser companies, Mozilla spokesperson Damiano DeMonte told The Verge that Firefox is "extremely disappointed" with the way Apple is implementing the feature because it does not extend to the iPad.
This is another reason why people having mixed feelings about iPads presently because its seems like iPadOS is going no where as fast as iOS. Like when Classical came out it was iOS and using it on a iPad didn't allow for the larger display to be used effectively with its more involved interface of artwork. Instead you just enlarged a IOS app to grow in size. :rolleyes:

So here is this alternative browser support example again being centered around the iOS so making iPadOS users 2nd class citizens once more. Give us some love Apple?
 
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So why has Apple decided to implement all these changes only on iOS? Isn’t iPadOS essentially iOS with iPad specific features? It seems like they’re creating a convoluted mess all in service of making sure that sweet, sweet services revenue isn’t impacted.
 
Apple are breaking their own walled garden in spectacular style as we speak. Some of the world has different regs to the rest of the world, they’re arbitrarily disallowing things on an iPad even in the eu, because they haven’t been told they need too.
I have no doubt they’ll blame it all on someone else, but they should man up and just take the hit. At the moment they’re single-handedly fracturing their own walled garden, seemingly to just prove a point.
 
Another explanation - perhaps less cynical - is that Apple is trying to have control over all code that runs on the device in order to provide better security. If browsers are forced to use he Apple engine, all Javascript being loaded by the browser gets run under Apple's control. If browsers use their own engines, Apple loses that control/oversight. You may argue whether Apple actually does any security checking on the Javascript it runs, but you can't argue how controlling code execution can have security benefits. This is also the reason Apple didn't allow the Java VM onto the iOS platform.
I don’t buy that. With proper sandboxing, that shouldn’t be an issue. And Safari had its own share of RCE vulnerabilities.

One reason they don’t support the JVM is because it is inherently built on dynamic byte-code loading, and so the same argument I stated in the original post for browser engines also applies to runtimes like the JVM. Originally, another reason was probably resource consumption.
 
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So why has Apple decided to implement all these changes only on iOS? Isn’t iPadOS essentially iOS with iPad specific features? It seems like they’re creating a convoluted mess all in service of making sure that sweet, sweet services revenue isn’t impacted.
They are mincing the word to the maximum and refuses to give up those sweet sweet revenue as their boring iPhone release generates less for them as time goes by.

Unlimited growth is and will always be a fallacy and pipe dream that does not exist.
 
TLDR, there’s still a very long way to go to make our devices more powerful FOR USERS.

Just to rub salt to injury, Safari has been acting weird lately after updating to iOS 17.3 on my iPad. I can’t welcome alternative browser engine soon enough. Sadly I don’t live in EU.
 
I blame devs for not having the courage to vote with their wallet by leaving en mass. General folks only need a handful of mainstream apps to survive anyways.
IPhone users tend to be much more inclined to spend money on apps than Android users, so that’s where developers go. Making a financially viable app is difficult enough as it is. So, ironically, devs do vote with their wallet.
 
This ^^ is a really great point
To be fair, though, China really hasn’t asked for Apple to make core changes to how the App Store works. They haven’t created some novel definition of goods and services called “Gateway” for the sole purpose of curtailing non-Chinese companies. And, they haven’t said that if Apple doesn’t meet their demands, they are going to charge a percentage of what Apple makes worldwide.
 
Seems to me it would be Firefox's CHOICE to CONTINUE to maintain two code bases; else, they could just maintain the status quo (again, they're ALREADY maintaining two code bases) AND take the benefit of EU customers being allowed EASILY to choose alternate browsers 🤷‍♂️

... and as has been pointed out before, iOS users have been able to choose their default browser since iOS 14.
 
Why are browsers required to run on the WebKit engine in the first place? WebKit limits Firefox so much that you can't use a ad blocker, it's just safari reskins at that point.

It's about code execution outside of Apple's control. If a developer is permitted to execute any code they want, we're going to see a lot of abuse and potential device compromises.

I suspect this might be why BrowserEngineKit will be limited to iPhone... because it's Version 1.0, and they want to limit the scope of any such abuse, bugs, and user confusion.
 
To be fair, though, China really hasn’t asked for Apple to make core changes to how the App Store works. They haven’t created some novel definition of goods and services called “Gateway” for the sole purpose of curtailing non-Chinese companies. And, they haven’t said that if Apple doesn’t meet their demands, they are going to charge a percentage of what Apple makes worldwide.
It would be interesting if Chinese government follows suite and demand the same. Apple would have no choice but to comply, and they cannot even use the same talking point much publicly in China, otherwise they’d lose 20% of their revenue stream immediately.
 
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Ok - but why do we also silo out iOS and forget about macOS?

The same Apple has a desktop OS that is filled with consumer choice and it's not some insecure wasteland of theft, piracy, scamming and the like

Why do we always talk about iOS as if macOS doesn't exist and work wonderfully for millions of consumers?
As much as Apple touts iOS with its each app sandboxed it continues to not equally spend the effort to improve the others OS's in a similar fashion. But there is one areas macOS was ahead and that was with game mode. No issues with web streaming services for games on MacOS. But because of the EU DMA reg's are they now rushing game mode for iOS and allowing streaming games to run at least in the EU initially.

Side note: another obvious reason is that VisionOS derived from iOS also is allowing web streaming services with the next update. Seems Apple Arcade is not that exciting for gaming compared to gaming streaming services. Gee who would not think of that? ;)
 
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