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Proposed Law Against Apple's 'Walled Garden' Software Approach Sparks Fears of iPhone Ban in Italy
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It makes perfect sense, if you take at least enough time to read the headline of this article: Because of Italy's proposed law, the iPhone could end up band in that country. In the name of consumer protection, consumers get harmed.
In a free market, if you don't like Apple's "walled garden," you have other choices. But hundreds of millions of people either like, or at least don't mind, the fact that Apple doesn't just let any old crap on their App Store. If anything, recent complaints are that the walls aren't high enough, and despite Apple's curation, crap still makes it in. Fortunately, Apple has noticed, and is responding, as documented here on MacOS Rumors.
The difference between a market and government mandate is that a market gives you choices. If you don't like Company A's offerings, go to Company B, C, D, E, F…. If you don't like what your wise representatives proposed, hey, maybe in a few years, you and enough of your compadres will muster enough votes to vote the bums out, and maybe the batch of bums will garner enough support to get a bill to the floor, and maybe that bill will get enough support to pass, and maybe that bill will actually accomplish what you hoped it would.
Perhaps you could kindly educate me, then. When, prior to April 2014—when the FCC proposed regulating the internet as a Title II utility—was there a problem of people not getting to watch or download what they want that no longer exists as a result of such regulation?
I'm well aware of, for example, Netflix working with Comcast to ensure that their video reaches customers more quickly. I think this is a horror on par with cell phone carriers offering free video streaming to their customers. Thank god my wise representatives want to protect me from the scourge of prioritized video streaming at home and free streaming on the go.
In a world where bandwidth is infinity, Netflix wouldn't be asked to pony up for the bandwidth they use. But we don't live in that world yet. And it's not as if Netflix, with nealy $9 billion in annual revenue and a market cap of $68 billion, is some little mom and pop operation. The fact that Netflix, Google, and other Internet behemoths lobby for so-called net neutrality regulation is because they like getting "free" bandwidth. They're running PR campaigns to make you think that they're looking out for you, and not their own interests, and evidently, these campaigns are working.
The fact is, what you fear would happen without net neutrality, while theoretically possible, has never happened. In the meantime, actual cases of government censorship are abundant. I know which I fear more.
That is not entirely true. Intra-EU customs still exist, and they do check that items that are legal in one EU-country do not get imported into an EU-country where they are illegal. For example, Germans who try to mail order weed from the Netherlands may find their packages searched and confiscated (and possibly face more serious consequences). Weapon laws vary a lot between member countries, and something may be a perfectly legal item freely available in one country, yet highly restricted or outright banned in another, and again, customs may check for this. Less obvious issues involve medicine, as some drugs are prescription-free in some countries, but not in others, and people in the latter may try to mail order from the former. Customs check for this, too.
Edited to add: These checks are by no means perfect, and I guess their thoroughness varies from country to country. People get away with a lot. But if a country really really wanted to ban iPhones, they could crack down this. And how many people would risk mail ordering a €900-phone with a decent chance of confiscation?
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So let me get this straight.
People choose to buy a walled-garden phone. But somehow they want to impose a walled-garden in the phone market by imposing a ban on a legitimate competitor in the market. How ironic.
Too bad Italy is in the EU. There's no way Brussels can let Rome pass such bill.
People choose to buy a walled-garden phone. But somehow they want to impose a walled-garden in the phone market by imposing a ban on a legitimate competitor in the market. How ironic.
Too bad Italy is in the EU. There's no way Brussels can let Rome pass such bill.
Apple is happy for you to download your apps from wherever you like! It's just business, my friend. But it would be an awful shame if something were to happen to your kneecaps, accidents do happen
If they really ban the iphones and people are travelling to neighbouring country to get one, it's going to be a hassle if there were some issue with the devices.
If the devices have hardware issue, it's going to be hard to refer customers to the ARS or AASP assuming that apple will also not open any ARS and AASP in Italy. If that were the case, there will be lots of angry customers in Italy and Apple technical support is going to get an ear full of complains when people call in for a certain issue that requires hardware interactions.
Not to mention, if there is a repair program going on for certain devices in the future like the battery replacement program, Italy may not qualify for it unless they are willing to travel to neighbouring country to get the issue fix which not many people are capable of doing due to commitments.
I don't know, I kind of want to see Italy ban the Iphone and experience the consequences because politicians have been ignorant for far too long with these kind of issues and should reflect on themselves.
If the devices have hardware issue, it's going to be hard to refer customers to the ARS or AASP assuming that apple will also not open any ARS and AASP in Italy. If that were the case, there will be lots of angry customers in Italy and Apple technical support is going to get an ear full of complains when people call in for a certain issue that requires hardware interactions.
Not to mention, if there is a repair program going on for certain devices in the future like the battery replacement program, Italy may not qualify for it unless they are willing to travel to neighbouring country to get the issue fix which not many people are capable of doing due to commitments.
I don't know, I kind of want to see Italy ban the Iphone and experience the consequences because politicians have been ignorant for far too long with these kind of issues and should reflect on themselves.
there have been at least 2 different "fappening" (internet term) for these leaks.
the first one was in Sept 2014, and there was another one recently.
While these leaks all generally on iCloud, it's not directly technical reasons why. Apple does talk big for security, but on occasion accidentally, usually just due to oversight, leaves behind little security "oopsies".
The original Fappening was due to Apple's lack of two factor authentication and allowing for 3rd parties to get into peoples accounts through the "forgot password" routine and some social engineering.
I haven't looked too much in depth for the 2nd attempt
They also have bad phishing security on their calendar where by default, any non-friend or even non-Apple user can send a calendar invite that will appear in your iCloud calendar. With no way of deleting the phishing invite. you either respond and tell the phishers you exist, or leave your calendar with garbage entries (usually promoting a fake sale)
Apple has great policy for Security, but in practice, they're implementations tend to not be the best. I respect their intentions, but so far Between Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft, who have the biggest data centres and collections, Apple's security seems to have the worst track record for data breaches, despite talking the biggest game.
so, by extension "any software" on "any platform"
means Italy is banning cars and any electronic appliance.
I'm pretty sure BMW iDrive software doesn't run on Mercedes COMAND.
Or how about any iOS software running on any Android device?
Politicians getting further and further away from reality.
By this definition, Androids ALSO have a walled garden.
You can't install ANY app on Android. What about iOS-specific apps? They can't be downloaded on Android.
You can't install ANY app on Android. What about iOS-specific apps? They can't be downloaded on Android.
This is the correct answer. I was going to say that these devices should be like Apple computers - there's an official App Store for it, but there's also Steam, developers own sites, etc. But even there Apple is slowly clamping down on users getting apps from places where Apple don't get a 30% cut.
Let's see what happens in the near future.
But is it really so prevalent? I mean, sure, it is a lot more prevalent than on iOS. Yet compared to the total number of Android devices, the number of infections is still very very low. Hard numbers are difficult to find, but it still seems to be below one percent, as far as I can tell. Malware is something the vast majority of users have no trouble to avoid. It is hard to find. I was never really worried about it during my years on Android. I worried more about Google - and now with my iPhone I worry more about Apple...
This is really groan worthy and I can't tell if you're joking or not. Just in case you aren't... any app made for android can be loaded onto a compatible Android device. Simple
Seems rather greedy of Apple to not let us sideload apps when our computers can do, and they still retain security, too.
Translation: How can we as lawmakers make a relatively safe operating system unsafe in the name of competition? I got it! We will draft up more legislation. Great idea! (And the troglodyte politicians erupt into a furious applause.)
Ridiculous. Does Italy ban gaming consoles too since games exclusive to a platform are monopolistic per their logic? iPhones are not the only smartphones available for purchase. If you need openness, stick to Android. Like all things in life, everything has a tradeoff. If you buy an iPhone, you sacrifice some freedom for better security. If you buy an Android phone you sacrifice some security for more flexibility. It's as simple as that and you need to learn to live with it. What the politicians are proposing here is stupid.
Apple has a right to be restrictive about their OS because they are the only manufacturer making phones running iOS. It's their property, they can do as they please with it. Meanwhile Google forces OEMs' hands with the Open Handset Alliance. If an OEM refuses to abide the rules of the OHA they can't run Google Play services on their Android phones, period. Which means no access to the Google Play store. How's that for a monopoly? Yet I hear no outcry against this. No threats to ban Android phones until this is rectified.
Apple has a right to be restrictive about their OS because they are the only manufacturer making phones running iOS. It's their property, they can do as they please with it. Meanwhile Google forces OEMs' hands with the Open Handset Alliance. If an OEM refuses to abide the rules of the OHA they can't run Google Play services on their Android phones, period. Which means no access to the Google Play store. How's that for a monopoly? Yet I hear no outcry against this. No threats to ban Android phones until this is rectified.
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This post is groan-worthy too...
What I mean is that it's APPLE'S CHOICE, since they make their product, and you know it when you buy it, that there is a certain way of putting software on it.
To give an extreme example, your toaster has software on it. Can you make software for your toaster, and easily load it? No. The manufacturer decided that you can't. You have to live with it that way.
Most phones pre-Apple were the same way. Software could only be updated by the manufacturer. Why are phones all of a sudden 'different' now? Because one manufacturer decides that you're allowed to, now all manufacturers must? That makes no sense.
If you make the argument that a phone is 'just a computer'. Are you up in arms that you can't replace the software on your car easily? Why not? It's just a computer too.
No, not simple. It affects everyone whether they use it or opt-out.
First, including a hole in the walled garden opens it up for malicious exploit, similar to building a back door into encryption. No matter your intent, people who are up to no good have an avenue to take advantage of, and their job is much easier once an official crack is already there for them to pry on.
Secondly, you assume that the nature of apps on the official app store won't change. But that's a wrong assumption. You'll see app makers start releasing free-but-limited apps on the official store, and instead of an in-app purchase or alternate buyable version, you'll be expected to get the full content by buying their app from the unmonitored store/location. Everyone, not just those who opt-in, will be forced to download the dubious version if they want the full functionality. App makers with good intent will do this simply to avoid Apple's 30% cut, but even then their own app hosting may get infected and infect you too. And of course malicious app makers will outright infect you on purpose.
Thirdly, it causes confusion. That hurts Apple's ease-of-use image, which might cost them more to prop back up. And it will cost their support department more dealing with the much higher rate of bad side effects. Those added costs will be passed on to consumers, including those who want to stay entirely in the walled garden.
So no, it's a terrible idea. If you don't want a walled garden, buy an Android product. That is the consumer's choice.
I'd like for the Italians to vote this through. And then I'd like for Apple to more or less clear their business of Italy (which is way more likely than changing anything about how their devices/software is setup)… and then we all…
…wait… for the coin to drop.
Brexit style.
That would be so sweet.
…wait… for the coin to drop.
Brexit style.
That would be so sweet.