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iHorseHead

macrumors 65816
Jan 1, 2021
1,321
1,586
In addition, Apple would have to allow users to uninstall its Safari browser and other stock apps so that they can replace them with third-party alternatives if they so wish.
I can already do that? What stops you from deleting those apps from Applications folder?
 

NufSaid

macrumors 6502
Oct 28, 2015
446
771
ÜT: 41.065573,-83.668801
Pretend I am a business owner who creates a wedding vendor venue where everyone can come and sell. I build the building and pay all the utilities. I want to charge people to sell in there. No problem.

Now I am forced to allow competition. No problem. Build your own building.

But NO....I am now forced to build sidewalks to the other buildings. Allow them to walk in a promote inside my building all why paying me nothing. And occasionally one of them comes in my building sick and makes everyone else sick and I get the bad press and get sued.
 

Futurix

macrumors 6502a
Nov 22, 2011
591
684
Strasbourg, France
So now developers are going to now have an extra expense by now having to pay an Apple Platform Hosting invoice. Politicians you are solving nothing and harming everyone. Please stop trying to do things and go away.
We already pay Apple yearly. They could just rename this fee.

What a terrible piece of legislation, in my own opinion.


So if Ford gathers information from you when you buy a Mustang, Ford can't turn around use that information to sell you an F-150? Really?

Apple will either follow the laws by pulling out or neutering the iphone. IMO, the iphone experience is going to be subpar compared to other regions.
Pretty sure reuse of information about “sales of vehicles” is precisely the thing allowed here. What’s with your reading comprehension?

Apple is not going to leave one of their biggest markets - and ‘neutered’ iPhone will be the same as leaving as no one will buy it.

Technically iPhone experience is already subpar here anyway - because Apple’s services are all incredibly US centric.

Future headline:“messaging standard flaw found, every platform on earth compromised”

Also: “Stalkers rejoice, now access to anything is access to everything”
Yes, because security is not a thing anymore. Gosh, why are Apple fans so dramatic?

I was against apple’s policy as well.

Until I worked with end users, particularly ones with Android. I’ve seen things no one should ever have to see.

Now I understand Apple has it right.
Most of people here (France / Germany) use Android and somehow don’t have issues. I think younger generation at least is now capable of basic tech literacy.

What makes you think that malware and other random stuff you install on your phone will make the technical issues any better?
Well, at least I won’t be beholden to just Apple if iCloud or Apple Music or App Store goes down (just like happened to all of us earlier this week - twice). Right now I don’t even have an option of switching to anything else and keeping same level of comfort and integration - and I feel like this made Apple lazy and complacent.

And I won’t get malware - with 30 years of Windows in my life, I learned my lessons.

It could be a sinister motive to prevent messenger apps from using proper end to end encryption. I would not rule that out.
End to end encryption isn’t beholden to the servers or companies - it’s literally the point of it. EU is not the enemy here - in fact they finance Signal.
 

gnipgnop

macrumors 68020
Feb 18, 2009
2,210
3,007
It sounds like it's a mix of feasible/reasonable ideas + irresponsible/ridiculous ideas. Similar to France reversing course on demanding ear pods be bundled with phones, I think the EU is going to revisit the legislation later on after realizing that they didn't know what they were talking about with some of it.

Forcing side loading is a ridiculous and draconian step that has no real basis in market facts that will cause far more problems than it will solve. The EU is essentially forcing Apple to abandon one of it's primary competitive features. It's not an improvement for competition at all. And as others have mentioned before, it may also be a violation of international laws governing intellectual property.
 

bobbie424242

macrumors 6502
May 16, 2015
356
668
I want to see god-tier Apple execs fume in rage. Not that they will do whatever they can to try to be "clever" for circumventing rules that are not their own, for a change. Apple has been arrogant and dismissive with everybody since forever. It's about time they get what they deserve. Although never underestimate their power of nuisance and acting in bad faith, exploiting every loophole they can.
 
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Robert.Walter

macrumors 68040
Jul 10, 2012
3,112
4,437
As soon as this takes effect, watch media players flee the App Store.

What will happen is that customers will be exposed to not only malware and fraud at the worst but just the inconveniences and frustrations of dealing with a myriad of media vendors with unscrupulous practices designed to make it difficult for customers to cancel.

And the risk of credit card fraud will balloon as the central billing aspect of the App Store will be replaced by endless billing systems with inconsistent security policies.

Terribly customer and user unfriendly.
 

Abazigal

Contributor
Jul 18, 2011
19,747
22,329
Singapore
Watching the legislation being passed won’t be anywhere near as interesting as watching Apple’s response to it.

I have mentioned this before, and I believe the main challenge the EU faces is in wording this set of laws in manner that doesn’t allow Apple any room to wriggle out of them, the same way Apple is trying to have their cake and eat it too with the other Netherlands lawsuit (where developers using third party payments still have to pay Apple a cut, on top of allowing Apple to audit their books).

For one, I imagine Apple would have sideloading turned off by default, and make the feature pretty hidden, to the point where only a small number of users actually bother with it.

They could also make the process pretty onerous and inconvenient for the end user, from maybe requiring a backup of their device, to voiding warranty, to disabling iCloud features like wallet and Apple Pay, to peppering them with various notifications of possible security and privacy implications.

Might we even see a forked version of iOS just for the EU?

It shouldn’t be too hard to frame this as protecting the user’s privacy and security, since their device is now effectively jailbroken and is presumably no longer as secure as before.

Either way, your move, Apple.
 
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Futurix

macrumors 6502a
Nov 22, 2011
591
684
Strasbourg, France
I think we have our own special turd sandwich lined up.

The EU have come up with some completely bananas legislation recently. Along the lines of “everyone has a right to privacy, apart from everyone who has a phone which we want to look into”.

I suspect this whole thing is going to line up with a “now your platform is open we want X implanted in iMessage”
No, you are mistaken, it’s Tories who want end-to-end encryption gone.

They want Apple (& Google?) to fundamentally alter how their OS and other core software works completely within 6 months??!! The EU is high on crack! As a dev I know it's hard enough to get big features integrated in several months. They clearly have no idea the level of complexity their asking for - which shows how little they know about tech in general.
Nearly all of this already exists - definitely for Google (given how open Android can be) but even Apple allows most of this stuff already for enterprise customers (corporations already can have their own internal app stores).

More bloody annoying popups. Just what the world needs. How much time is spent negotiating website privacy popups now because of the EU...
The very same EU legislation also cracks down on those pop-ups (it forbids ‘dark patterns’ and also allows updates to the definitions of those dark patterns so it won’t take new legislation to curb the future abuses).

I can only conclude that the EU give unachievable deadlines so they can profit from the fines.

I can’t see anything reasonable about a 6 month window for this from an engineering perspective.
Almost all of it already exists in iOS.
 
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I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
34,333
24,081
Gotta be in it to win it
We already pay Apple yearly. They could just rename this fee.


Pretty sure reuse of information about “sales of vehicles” is precisely the thing allowed here. What’s with your reading comprehension?

Apple is not going to leave one of their biggest markets - and ‘neutered’ iPhone will be the same as leaving as no one will buy it.

Technically iPhone experience is already subpar here anyway - because Apple’s services are all incredibly US centric.


Yes, because security is not a thing anymore. Gosh, why are Apple fans so dramatic?


Most of people here (France / Germany) use Android and somehow don’t have issues. I think younger generation at least is now capable of basic tech literacy.


Well, at least I won’t be beholden to just Apple if iCloud or Apple Music or App Store goes down (just like happened to all of us earlier this week - twice). Right now I don’t even have an option of switching to anything else and keeping same level of comfort and integration - and I feel like this made Apple lazy and complacent.

And I won’t get malware - with 30 years of Windows in my life, I learned my lessons.


End to end encryption isn’t beholden to the servers or companies - it’s literally the point of it. EU is not the enemy here - in fact they finance Signal.
Did you see what I quoted, or did you half read the post as you were disagreeing with every poster quoted. Zing was the sound of the post going over your head in an effort to discuss what the legislation means.
 

gnipgnop

macrumors 68020
Feb 18, 2009
2,210
3,007
Unless you’re a shareholder, I don’t get why you should be mad about this, even saying “I’m glad the UK left the EU”. No one is going to be forced to sideload apps or to use a different App Store, as far as I understand.
If an app that you use is pulled from the App Store and only made available through the developer's store, then YES...you will be forced to side load.
 

GermanSuplex

macrumors 68000
Aug 26, 2009
1,541
29,977
I don't see how this helps products remain competitive if they all have to be "opened up" to a degree it almost strips the identity away from individual devices.

This sounds like punishing innovation, not encouraging it. Even putting the infrastructure in place to sideload, and even if the customer chooses not to, opens a gate for hackers and others to use. Alternate payment systems are already an option - just go to the app's webpage and pay there, then sign in to your app. I just think some of these steps are way over the line. I definitely understand the consumer demand for sideloading and am not against it in essence, but I think it would be better for consumers to pressure Apple until they cave instead of forcing their hand.

As it is, these laws just sound like they're stripping away the features that make an Apple product an Apple product. It's one thing if Apple is the only choice; they aren't. And its one thing if Apple was so massive you virtually have no choice but to use their products. It isn't, and you don't. Apple and the iPhone have not become so large they're like a public utility. Many people use no Apple products at all, ever. I still message with those people, I can call and text them, they have apps and products on their phone.... the world keeps moving.

I do agree companies shouldn't stifle the innovation and business of other companies, but I also do not think Apple and the iPhone have done that. This sounds like a case of others wanting to leech of their success. If I create a movie theatre that offers an immersive, lifelike experience where people can feel like they're in a dream, actually in the movie, and I want to keep it a family-friendly venture, I shouldn't be forced to allow x-rated content to play in the theatre because some porn company thinks I'm kneecapping them by not allowing their films to play. That's what this seems like, forcing Apple to share their success and products with others with no say by Apple.
 
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