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EU antitrust chief to Tim Cook: Apple must allow third-party app stores
(appleinsider.com)
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this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2024
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No, thank you. I will continue to use Apple's App Store. What made me switch to the iPhone was the fact that I could trust the apps in the App Store. I knew there was no chance of downloading malware. It's a liberating experience.
I don't want it to be like Android.
Nobody is asking you yet. Once it becomes an option I guarantee some apps will decide that they'd prefer to use a third party store over the App Store and if that happens to be an app you use then you are essentially being asked to use other app stores.
This isn't advocating for or against it, I'm just saying that if you think that this is purely additive and those who don't want it can just not interact with it and get the same experience they have today then you're being naive.
Regardless, it's going to be interesting to watch. Smaller niche apps that don't need discoverability will probably benefit, since if you need a niche app for something you're probably prepared to put the effort into using a third party store. Large apps I suspect will go a hybrid model if they do anything at all (use both the App Store and a third party store, with the third party store having a lower price, although I guarantee it won't be 30% less), and stuff in between will likely stay on the App Store unless there's enough of a network effect to get enough users to a third party store to make it worth switching.
App developers are unlikely to take themselves off the Apple store it would remove themselves from a huge portion of the market they developed an iOS app for.
But they will find third party stores taking a smaller cut than Apple does. They will pass on some of that saving to the customer or find a way to encourage you not to use the Apple store if they get to keep a higher cut. Like earlier updates and feature releases.
That's the point. Apple currently has a controlling monopoly on a market. Competition will lower prices for the consumer.
Anti-trust laws exist to do exactly this.
All it will take is a trustworthy company to launch a 3rd party app store. Then maybe you won't mind.
Some companies like Cisco might just launch a store instead of putting their apps through Apple as they would like higher security than the App store provides.
Apple will also be forced into a competition to be the most secure app store too.
The likelihood is they'll just play with the margins and do what's necessary to keep a near monopoly but the possibility of competition is useful in itself. At the moment there isn't even that.
This really is the key to this being successful I think. Right now a lot of the nervousness around opening iOS is because of the fact that people (rightly or wrongly) trust and have a relationship with Apple.
The people who are concerned about third party app stores really are worried about the implication of having to trust a new third party with their device, their payment details, their personal info, etc.
Put someone reputable behind an alternative and it becomes an easier sell.
Well, do you see it happening on Android for any major app except Fortnite?
That's fair, and I admit it's one possible outcome of all this. I just think that if the EU mandates that both Apple and Google have to support them that it's going to shift the needle on it as the alternative infrastructure will be properly supported on every major platform. As you get that infrastructure, get payment providers in place to drive it all, the friction of switching will drop, which makes it a more appealing option for developers.
🥱
Are you a 🤡 or a 🧌?
Using the same logic: just don’t participate by not purchasing an apple product. There are alternatives out there, buy an android. I enjoy my walled garden, it’s a feature that I pay a premium for.
Enter everyone to tell me why I’m wrong and/or stupid (see replies below).
Name calling, good to see we’re keeping it classy
I won't call you names but this literally doesn't make any sense to me. In no way would the apple app store be affected, your walled garden is safe. To (attempt to) extend the metaphor, this is like giving you the option to take walks in other gardens, but your walled garden is still where you left it, gate locked.
Thank you, I appreciate your response.
I just wish someone could explain to me the benefits of doing this? Who stands to benefit financially? Who are the stakeholders? Why can webapps not be used instead? Do side loaded apps have access to apples APIs, do webapps not? Can apple, like Reddit charge for use of said APIs?
Also, why does everyone seem to portray such a personal stance on the subject, how would allowing side apps benefit any of those who have downvoted me in their day to day lives.
Apple is interested in maintaining full control of what apps can be on their platform and how they are presented because it gives them power over negotiations with companies that build the apps. They are basically able to "name their price" and make sure they are always getting as big of a cut as they would like.
The EU is interested in not letting them do that because that kind of "negotiating" behavior is pretty well understood to be anti-consumer. Increased costs for app developers are usually passed directly onto the consumer through the prices. And it tends to get worse over time.
No company anywhere wants to use webapps anymore. Apps installed on devices are free advertising and access to user data. It is frustrating but the way it is, on all devices, already. So basically the answer is the same as why can't most apps that already exist on all devices anyways just be web apps.
I don't think sideloaded would be quite the right word, this is about access to other app stores (like the google play store or amazon app store, or more niche ones) that would then formally and automatically install and maintain apps exactly the same way the apple app store already does, presumably just with a different library of apps to choose from.
Apps from another app store would need no access to any API by apple unless they were specifically interacting with apple services, AFAIK. Which, would be under the full control of apple and apple chooses who uses it, how, and how much they use it, but that is already the case regardless.
I tried to answer your confusions as best as I can do with what I know already. As for why people take this so personally, I would say it is a complex topic combining businesses that are constantly trying to drive each other out of business with the social effects of making the tool people use to communicate a status symbol. And it has been brewing for long enough that people are getting extreme opinions and fostering long term grudges based on personal experience, to the point that some people have some real hatred towards anyone who has a different phone OS than them.
This was a long comment to type and I did it while laying in bed half asleep. Sorry if it has a bunch of typos or errors lol
These are weird questions.
The developer, if they are distributing themselves. Also potentially no one. That shouldn’t really be a concern though, why are you concerned with what seems to amount to “someone needs to be making money off me, I want it to be Apple!”
Again, literally anyone or no one.
Why can’t you use a web app for all your PC applications? Because native APis are always going to be more expansive than what is made available to a web UI.
It’s a mixed bag. Some yes, some no. But you’re generally going to be able to do more with native apps than a web app.
Why… would you charge for local API access? You’re paying for the hardware, you’re paying for the computation time, you’re paying for the electricity, why would Apple get paid?
Apple explicitly doesn’t allow certain kinds of apps on the App Store. Many of those can be replicated in a web app, but not all. One easy example is game emulation. You can do some emulation in a web app, but the performance isn’t going to be great. You can sideload an app that does it better, and you can actually force load with a different flag to have them work even better than that. One such emulator is Delta.
I’m a little concerned on your line of questioning honestly. It seems like you’re extremely concerned that the (first or second depending on the day) largest company in the world is going to lose out on a little money. Why are you so invested in them making money? How does Apple making more money benefit you in your day to day life?
I've been on android for 10+ years and never downloaded malware.
Don't try to download cracked apps and you'll be fine.
Uh huh. Try thinking about other people. Just because you don't want freedom doesn't mean other people don't deserve it. You can always just choose to stick to Apple's crap if you really want to. But right now, people can't choose what they want because gaining control over their own damn device is so difficult by design. That's the point.
Lol, there IS some malware in the App Store and there is not more malware in the playstore.
Only difference, on android it is easy to sideload, for example, emulators. And that there exists an alternative opensource app store (Fdroid)
https://lifehacker.com/great-now-the-apple-app-store-has-malware-too-1849386738#:~:text=Most%20recently%2C%20security%20research%20Alex,single%20group%20based%20in%20China.
https://www.wired.com/story/apple-app-store-malware-click-fraud/
https://nypost.com/2024/01/02/tech/smartphone-users-warned-to-delete-these-17-dangerous-apps/
Now you will say, but I god-like smurt (smart), I wunt (won't) download this, ofviously (obviously).
No one is forcing you to use another app store. I'm sure the operating system will also allow you to turn off apps from unknown sources just like Android. More options for other people is not a bad thing. People paid for the device, they should be able to use it however they wish.
I'd be more worried about every company trying to force their users into using their own store to access their apps.
Simp harder for daddy
Don't you think app developers should have the freedom of choice for app stores? Android has multiple places to get apps, lots of FOSS apps aren't on play store, and likely aren't on iOS at all. Having the option for 3rd party store gives not just users, but developers too, an option and access to more apps/users that wouldn't otherwise be available. You want safe secure apps, that's all good.
You mentioned that an app might move away from the app store to a 3rd party store, if you already use and trust that developer's product how will having to get it from a different location change that?
Now, not to sound too harsh, but why your convenience of not having to go get another store more important than a devs ability to host their product in a different location?
All these corporations just getting greedy. There will be a pirated app store and I will be the first to endorse it!!
Yep right
Here's 10 malware for iOS that don't involve using a store
https://macpaw.com/amp/how-to/most-common-iphone-viruses
And then an article about malware from iOS store - for now hoping it's not click bait, I'll read it after work
https://lifehacker.com/great-now-the-apple-app-store-has-malware-too-1849386738
I don't think anyone would be forcing you to use a different app store.
This would just make the option available for those who want to.