mjtomlin

About

Username
mjtomlin
Joined
Visits
178
Last Active
Roles
member
Points
4,790
Badges
2
Posts
2,673
  • EU tells Apple to open everything up to its rivals

    spheric said:
    mjtomlin said:

    This is how you end up taking away choice by offering a choice. Microsoft was famous for this. When you offer something that becomes ubiquitous, common logic says just use it instead of anything else. 
    Funny that you should mention Microsoft, of all things… 

    But what I haven't seen mentioned here is that the failure to fully interoperate in the MESSENGER space just means that virtually nobody uses iMessage here in Europe. 

    It's WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, FB Messenger, Threema, whatever. I use the Apple Messages app, but there's like three people that I occasionally use iMessage features with — like tapback, or the occasional cheesy balloon effect or so. Literally everyone else is on WhatsApp, Signal, and FB Messenger for me — sometimes all three. 

    How is it funny I mentioned Microsoft?

    And not sure what you’re getting at here? Are you saying it’s bad that messaging apps can’t interoperate? I agree to that, but it’s not as easy as you think, especially when E2E comes into play. I don’t think they should be forced to “open” up though, that will just kill competition. There should be an alternative standard (replacing SMS/MMS - and not Google’s RCS) though that can be used to chat with others using a different platform, while still allowing platforms to retain their unique features when messaging inside the same platform.
    watto_cobra
  • EU tells Apple to open everything up to its rivals

    avon b7 said:
    laytech said:
    Surely the consumer should be allowed to decide not the EU. I don't want this opened up to anyone. I am happy locked behind Apple's gates. Shine on. EU Policing. Someone is doing deals in the backrooms to make this sort of rubbish a policy.
    You can decide. Just decide not to use the future options that you don't already have.

    The DMA/DSA (and more that is still in the pipe) is a way level the playing field for everyone and give consumers more rights and choice.



    That’s not how this works. Enabling the OS to have those options could very well mean breaking specific security models, opening the platform to many issues whether you choose a future option or not.

     If by ”level” you mean creating a homogeneous market where one platform is pretty much the same as the other… where’s the choice? These laws suppress innovation and platform competition/differentiation. The ONLY real choice and innovation will have to come from smaller players that are still allowed to do whatever they want, because they don’t fall within these boundaries. This is NOT a level playing field.

    You’re living in a pipe dream if you think this is heading towards some utopian market dynamic where the consumer has all the choices… This is actually headed down a dark dystopian rabbit hole, where more and more laws will be created/changed to push out foreign companies and create a single government run platform, because “the government knows what’s best for their citizens.” Which is exactly what they’ve started doing… “You don’t really want iOS… you NEED this instead.”

     This is how free markets thrive, it puts the innovation in the companies hands, and the choice in the consumers hands. The only time a government should step in, is when there’s a blatant abuse. iPhone is not a monopoly in the EU, far from it, with only a 25% share, yet they are being treated as if there is no competition or alternative. Even though 3 out 4 EU citizens choose Android. This is obviously just an attack to break a successful (lucrative) platform.

     The fact that the limit is a monetary amount and not a market share amount is very telling of what’s in play here.

    strongytmayFileMakerFellerwatto_cobra
  • EU tells Apple to open everything up to its rivals

    avon b7 said:

    Apple is not forced to do business in the EU. If it does, it's it was for a reason. It makes made business sense. 


    People are not forced to buy an iPhone, if they do, it’s for a reason. It makes personal sense.

    Fixed that for you.

    Enacting laws that turn your business model upside down and force you to basically rewrite your operating systems is not reasonable by any measure. It’s not a simple matter of just opening the ”gate”, when the changes are foundational - it’s more like, knocking down the wall and rebuilding it. Furthermore, Apple is not going to do anything to break security or privacy… they’re just going to work under it, which will probably mean limiting everything, even their own services and features, to enable 3rd parties to offer an alternative.

    Apple will have to create a forked version of their OS to comply with EU laws and regulations. The EU is a big enough market that will allow for the cost. This will lead to more expensive devices with less features. But at least Europeans will be to use “local” alternatives to some features, which is what the EU wants - to prop up local technologies. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but I have a feeling this leads to future laws…

    - All websites must be compatible with [EU] browser and all devices must ship with said browser, if those devices come with built in browser
    - All stores must accept [EU] wallet app and all devices must ship with said wallet app if those devices come with built in wallet app

    This is how you end up taking away choice by offering a choice. Microsoft was famous for this. When you offer something that becomes ubiquitous, common logic says just use it instead of anything else. 

    Bottom line, if Apple is forced to break security and sacrifice user privacy to comply with these laws, then my choice of having a secure platform is gone. But everyone else who wanted an “open” platform already has that choice, there are literally hundreds of Android models. And that’s the real problem here… neither of those options is EU based, and the EU is butt-hurt about it. Let me know, are there are any EU companies that these laws affect? If not, this is simply “nationlism”. These laws were made to punish successful foreign companies in the hopes that it will allow a few “local” companies to thrive.

    For over 40 years Apple has been able to make the products the way they want and sell them in Europe… that is now no longer the case.
    strongywatto_cobra
  • EU tells Apple to open everything up to its rivals

    If this is an actual security issue, and as important security is to Apple… I have to believe Apple will just create forks of their operating systems that are EU only. It’s a big enough market that they could hire more engineers to do that. Those OS updates will just come out much later and less frequently than the rest of the world.


    watto_cobra
  • Apple & ARM have been crucial to each other's survival for three decades

    A bit of hyperbole don’t you think?

    If anything was saved it was the ARM architecture from dying off into oblivion because of Apple’s interest in it. At the time Acorn was such a chaotic mess… it was decided that their combined work needed to be spun off into a new company, which included Acorn’s entire ARM design team and some members of Apple’s Advanced Technology Group, who had previously added some enhancements to the ISA.
    watto_cobrajony0