EU antitrust chief to Tim Cook: Apple must allow third-party app stores::The European Union’s Margrethe Vestager has met with leaders of US Big Tech firms to discuss their operations in the EU, and with Apple’s Tim Cook concentrated on the App Store and Apple Music.

  • Mereo@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    20
    arrow-down
    157
    ·
    9 months ago

    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.

      • Drusenija@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        15
        arrow-down
        29
        ·
        9 months ago

        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.

        • Ross_audio@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          14
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          9 months ago

          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.

          • Drusenija@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            9 months ago

            All it will take is a trustworthy company to launch a 3rd party app store.

            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.

        • Madis@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          9 months ago

          Well, do you see it happening on Android for any major app except Fortnite?

          • Drusenija@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            5
            ·
            9 months ago

            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.

    • ashok36@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      45
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      9 months ago

      I’ve been on android for 10+ years and never downloaded malware.

      Don’t try to download cracked apps and you’ll be fine.

      • viking@infosec.pub
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        9 months ago

        There have been some genuine apps that then download malware in the background, often after months.

        But the same thing exists on the apple store.

        • Camelbeard@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          9 months ago

          I was going to say something similar, if you use the play Store you’re about as safe as you use the Apple app Store. They do the same kind of checks. Some apps that are allowed I would not personally install as I consider them spyware (like TikTok or anything by Meta).

          You should always be considerate what you Install, if you Install a video call app that needs camera permission fine, if you Install a digital clock app that needs camera permission not fine at all.

    • Adanisi@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      29
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      No freedom to choose

      “Liberating”

      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.

    • Squizzy@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      20
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      9 months ago

      So do. Just because you only want one shop doesn’t mean other should have to shop there.

      Try thinking of other people and how you might differ from them.

    • Petter1@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      20
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      9 months ago

      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)

    • guywithoutaname@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      9 months ago

      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.

    • Spotlight7573@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      9 months ago

      I’d be more worried about every company trying to force their users into using their own store to access their apps.

    • MrNobody@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      9 months ago

      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?

    • muh_entitlement@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      9 months ago

      All these corporations just getting greedy. There will be a pirated app store and I will be the first to endorse it!!

    • chitak166@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      9 months ago

      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.