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Apple refuses to relax its iron grip on iPhones in Europe

https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-refuses-to-relax-its-iron-grip-on-iphones-in-europe/

As its walled garden crumbles, Apple grudgingly allows EU users to sideload applications. Will regulators take stiffer action, and what about the US?

Apple refuses to relax its iron grip on iPhones in Europe::As its walled garden crumbles, Apple grudgingly allows EU users to sideload applications. Will regulators take stiffer action, and what about the US?

19 comments

JasSmith

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I think many of us anticipated Apple’s malicious compliance. Now we see if the EU really will hold them to account. I’m tentatively optimistic but I admit I’ll be very disappointed if Apple wins this. It will cement their position of power globally as untouchable, and that’s a terrible outcome for the whole world. I am very disappointed that the EU permitted Apple to declare iOS as distinct from all other mobile operating systems. They even permitted them to exclude iPadOS as a Core Platform Service. Just that decision alone now excludes all Apple TVs, iPads, the Vision, and Watch. I hope that decision is also revisited.

TheGrandNagus

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Surely Apple knows the EU won't look kindly on this at all?

They know this won't work long term. This is just a last-ditch attempt to keep an effective status quo for another year or so while the EU comes up with a response. Another year, possibly more, of fleecing their customers/developers.

Scummy behaviour. But what else would you expect from a massive tax-dodging multinational?

mint_tamas

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Pretty sure this serves two purposes: to not leave money on the table (as terrible as that sounds, the non-EU market is still milkable for them), and to prepare investor sentiment for the inevitable loss of revenue in a year or so.

parpol

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The best use-case for an Apple product is you get money when you return it.

AteshgaRubyTeeth

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Stable resale value is indeed a great perk of an iPhone when compared to phones running Android.

patatahooligan

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If this isn't violating the DMA then the DMA is stupid. Legislation should limit the company's control, not force it into a specific action while allowing it to maintain as much control as possible.

In other words the DMA should effectively say "you don't get to choose how your platform is used", not "you get to make the rules, but just don't be the only one who can develop for your platform".

devbo

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Who cares, if you dont like apple dont buy apple. the only way apple effects me is these annoying articles.

hemmes

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It's funny, I buy Apple products specifically so that that I can't side load apps. At work we MDM and Apple's approach isn't for everyone, but forcing something like side loading simply isn't the right choice for all types of users.

I'm all for encouraging them to be on the right side of Right-to-Repair, labor laws, and environmental best practices. But I left the world of side-loading and customization for the iPhone's tight lockdowns. At first I still couldn't help myself but to jail-break my first iPhone or two, then I stoped that also.

Rensco

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They are not forcing you to use side-loading. You can just keep using the app store like you have been, but now you at least get a choice.

hemmes

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Right but in my line of business I don't want it to even be possible. I already made my choice purchasing an iPhone knowing full well I'm locked into the AppStore and my MDM catalog. If I can sideload so can a nefarious actor.

MeanEYE

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What makes you think mechanism that is used to install applications from Apple store can't be equally exploited as the mechanism that's used to install applications from a file? It's the same mechanism.

hemmes

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I'm not saying it can't, but the attack surface is significantly reduced.

MeanEYE

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I disagree. If anything Apple failing to detect new kind of malware and approving malicious application is easier route. Simply because people see the description and trust the source infinitely and click install.

sheogorath

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I can understand your concerns, at work we can do BYOD for phones and the process for MDM on Android phones are much more complex and invasive simply due to the fact that you can install apps on Android via sideloading.

gornius

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It's funny, I buy Apple Car specifically so that that I can't decide where I want to go. At work we MDM and Apple's approach isn't for everyone, but forcing something like choosing their destination simply isn't the right choice for all types of users.

I'm all for encouraging them to be on the right side of Right-to-Repair, labor laws, and environmental best practices. But I left the world of thinking where I want to go and choice for the Apple Car's tight lockdowns. At first I still couldn't help myself but to try to go around wherever I wanted with my first Apple Car or two, then I stoped that also.

Apple Car's filtered possible destinations are all I need, so I don't see why anyone would ever want to go any other place.

hemmes

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Bruh...lol

I just like what I like. I knew I was gonna get shit for chatting about it.

claudiop

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I do silly things on the internet. I tried to install leechblock so I can get most of the internet blocked, that way I don't get to procrastinate. Unfortunately it is ineffective as I can easily go around it.

I wish I had my own internet without procrastination material. A place with a tremendously big ecosystem of a billion people and not a single way to access things I deem problematic for me, because if they exist I might want to access them and I don't want that.

CaptainEffort

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Honestly I agree. If you want sideloading, here’s the great thing about competition, you can go with a competitor that allows that.

I regularly swap between iPhone and various androids specifically because I want different things sometimes. I don’t want iPhone’s niche to get screwed up - one of their biggest selling points is their tailor made walled garden experience. It’s sure as hell not for everyone, but for those that like it, it’s fantastic.

And for the record, I say all this as someone who usually goes with Android.

anlumo

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Switching platform isn’t great when you lose access to all of the apps that were bought for the previous one. There’s a big incentive to not switch.

hemmes

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Yeah, same for me. I have an android also. But I don't put corporate data on that, it's to test various scenarios or using a very specific app for field tasks.