tylersdad

nicholfd said:

Jlong said:

nicholfd said:

Jlong said:

Everyone has been going back and forth but at the end of the day, let me put it in this way:

• There is 1 place where you can get IOS apps.
• There is 1 place where a developer can sell IOS apps
• There is 1 place where you can buy IOS apps.

Notice how it's always "1" place? This is the main issue, and in this regards Apple does have a monopoly (since only apple can sell IOS apps). Apple isn't denying this but also not acknowledging it because it's stupid to do so. Their statements/counterpoints about security and etc so far all point toward one narrative and for one outcome. And the outcome is to disallow side loading apps, disallow 3rd party app stores and for Apple to be the sole gatekeeper, in other words have a monopoly. 

Yep - because there's only one company that makes iOS & iOS compatible devices.  Apple.  This does not make it a monopoly.

It's their product and consumers can decide to buy it, or buy Android.  Consumers have a choice.

1. Apple makes some of the IOS apps,

2. Apple does not make all the IOS apps.

The monopoly isn't about Apple making apple devices either, the monopoly lies in the way that you can get, sell and install the apps. There is only 1 place where you can get IOS apps.

As for consumer choice, there is no consumer choice. You're confusing all "apps" vs "IOS Apps". There are many ways to get "apps" but 1 way to get IOS apps. 

You missed the point.  It's Apples product and Apples ecosystem.  Apple sets the rules.  Period.

There is consumer choice - Android.  Don't like Apple's mobile products/ecosystem/rules?  Buy Android.

What do you think about Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft's gaming systems?  They only allow "apps" (games generally, but not necessarily - Plex, VLC, etc.) to be sold through their App Store & mandate the same % cut.  Their products, their ecosystems, their rules.  

OK, so taking that logic to its inevitable conclusion....

My Internet provider is Comcast. It's their product and their ecosystem, so they set the rules right? They say what I can and can't do with the service they provide in their ecosystem? 

jungmark said:

tylersdad said:

More ridiculous FUD from Apple. I don't need Apple to provide guard rails. I suppose some do, but there certainly must be a way of providing power users with the ability to sideload apps, while keeping average users within the guard rails. 

Sounds like Android should be your choice. 

Ridiculous. Because I want to have more control over a device I PAID FOR, I should ditch Apple and go with Android? 

No. I hate Android. 

More ridiculous FUD from Apple. I don't need Apple to provide guard rails. I suppose some do, but there certainly must be a way of providing power users with the ability to sideload apps, while keeping average users within the guard rails. 

DAalseth said:

Good. the original ban was put in for purely political reasons having to do with the upcoming election and Trump’s rally last fall getting s*rewed over by TicToc users. It was a petty act as was shown by it getting thrashed in the courts. 

Now whether TicToc and other Chinese apps are a legitimate security risk is a good question. Doing an evaluation first is the responsible way to handle it. That way if an app gets banned the government will have the legal support they need when it goes to court.

The ban was less about the code and more about the servers. The servers are in Singapore and China. The Chinese 2015 National Security Law specifically states that any server in China (regardless of ownership) must be accessible by Chinese government officials. It's a real problem and many companies have removed servers from China specifically for this reason. I know my company did (one of the big 4 financial services firms). 

foregoneconclusion said:

The risk of an individual having personal data harvested by Chinese companies isn't the same as a national security risk. The government always has the option of banning federal employees from using an app if they do have some concerns, but banning random citizens from using something like that has no national security purpose. 

Problem is, it isn't just Federal employees who do the work of the US government. There are many private firms who contract services to the government. And there are a lot of really stupid people out there who don't know which platforms are safe to do business on. Tiktok servers are in Singapore and China (through Alibaba). And while Tiktok provides their servers, Chinese law says that any server in China must be accessible by the Chinese government (I've linked the article which shows the issues concerning this law). 

https://intpolicydigest.org/the-global-implications-of-china-s-national-and-cyber-security-laws/#:~:text=The Chinese government's 2015 National,keys, and backdoor access to