6 ms·

Could this be a sign that Apple is beginning to 'get' web services? Their new maps in 3d is industry leading, but is missing a web api, and you still need an Ap

Could this be a sign that Apple is beginning to 'get' web services? Their new maps in 3d is industry leading, but is missing a web api, and you still need an AppleId to view it.

threeseed 10y ago
Apple 'gets' web services. They run some of the largest web services platforms in the world i.e. iCloud, Messages, iTunes Store, Apple Online Store. They just choose not to release an advertising supported Maps platform because (a) advertising goes against their strong privacy/security message and (b) it doesn't offer anything unique or valuable to the market. To be honest I don't think they would've even gone into Maps if Google hadn't played hard ball during the iPhone 1 days.
- berberous 10y ago
  None of that is the web though. Why can't the open up Apple Maps and the App Store so you can browse it on a laptop (and initiate remote app installs like with Google Play)? That has nothing to do with ads.
  - threeseed 10y ago
    What are you talking about ? iCloud, iTunes Store and Apple Online Store all have public facing web sites. And web services does not mean web sites. It means having APIs exposed (internally or externally) over web protocols i.e. HTTP which they all do. And you can use Apple Maps on a laptop. Just that it has to be a Mac.
    - kaishiro 10y ago
      While I'm not interested in getting into a semantic argument around something arbitrary like what "getting the web" means, unless I'm missing something (which is absolutely possible!) I don't think it's fair to compare the Apple App Store (https://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/ios/id36?mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/ios/id36?mt=8) to the Google Play Store (https://play.google.com/store/apps?hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps?hl=en). One of these is clearly baked for the web, and one of these is not. Also, as an aside, if I have missed something and there is a better app store experience for Apple please let me know - I just chose the top result searching for "Apple App Store".
      - narrowrail 10y ago
        Apple optimizes their app stores for devices that are able to actually install these apps. I don't think it's as convoluted as you seem to think it is. I have one Apple device (MBA) and I have never agreed to the iTunes TOS and never opened it. I have no interest in the App Store except when nagged for updates. Homebrew and SSH to my linux desktop fulfill my needs, and after 4+ years I get ~6hrs battery life. The web has really gone down hill, and one thing I actually like about Apple is they embrace more of the internet than just the web/advertising.
        kaishiro 10y ago
        "Apple optimizes their app stores for devices that are able to actually install these apps." Right, yes, we agree on that. And I don't find anything at all convoluted about it, I'm not sure why you would think that - there is nothing particularly complex about any of this. My only point is that, in my personal opinion, it's a far nicer experience to explore apps for potential install on an Android phone, via the play store website, then it is for an Apple phone, via this...listing page - when you're not on the device itself. It's possible I'm simply in the minority here but when I'm chilling on the couch thinking I need a new (insert application here), I'd rather use the screen with more real estate. Re: your battery life...cool?
        HappyTypist 10y ago
        People who use Apple products generally use Apple full stack. They'd open the App Store on their iPad, browse for an app, and iCloud will install it across all their devices.
        kaishiro 10y ago
        As a user of Apple products, I'm saying that this isn't always true.
        ValentineC 10y ago
        > Homebrew and SSH to my linux desktop fulfill my needs, and after 4+ years I get ~6hrs battery life. Possibly unrelated, but did you find a way around having to install XCode before being able to install Homebrew?
  - derefr 10y ago
    What do you mean? I've got Maps on my laptop right here: http://i.imgur.com/6AeugdX.png http://i.imgur.com/6AeugdX.png If you're asking why they don't open them up to non-macOS computers, that's Apple's long-standing strategy of making the software part of the selling point of the hardware.
- tyingq 10y ago
  Somewhat related...what does Apple have in their data centers? I'm curious if they run their own sort of hackintoshes for the density of racked servers. Or if they run some other OS, or just shelves of Pros?
  - no_wizard 10y ago
    I've accidentally hit a error or 2 on their website over the years. Backend linux all the way, I think mostly redhat / centOS given the JBOSS errors. Anyone can feel free to correct me.
    - kejaed 10y ago
      If you search around their job site you'll find jobs with RHEL and Ubuntu as keywords
  - eropple 10y ago
    They're a Linux-heavy shop and, judging from the recruiter pings I get, a lot of Mesos.
Tanegashima 10y ago
Apple doesn't care about running in other platforms unless it's for profit, so Web technologies are very low priority. As for services, their iTunes platform is really 1950s technology, but it works. I don't know how a company that makes the world's most used Internet service in transactions per second (Apple Push Notifications Service), which works very well, may be "bad".
- rimliu 10y ago
  A lot of "modern" web tech first went live on iPhone: CSS animations/transforms, canvas, etc.

Could this be a sign that Apple is beginning to 'get' web services? Their new maps in 3d is industry leading, but is missing a web api, and you still need an AppleId to view it.

threeseed 10y ago

Apple 'gets' web services. They run some of the largest web services platforms in the world i.e. iCloud, Messages, iTunes Store, Apple Online Store. They just choose not to release an advertising supported Maps platform because (a) advertising goes against their strong privacy/security message and (b) it doesn't offer anything unique or valuable to the market. To be honest I don't think they would've even gone into Maps if Google hadn't played hard ball during the iPhone 1 days.

berberous 10y ago
None of that is the web though. Why can't the open up Apple Maps and the App Store so you can browse it on a laptop (and initiate remote app installs like with Google Play)? That has nothing to do with ads.
- threeseed 10y ago
  What are you talking about ? iCloud, iTunes Store and Apple Online Store all have public facing web sites. And web services does not mean web sites. It means having APIs exposed (internally or externally) over web protocols i.e. HTTP which they all do. And you can use Apple Maps on a laptop. Just that it has to be a Mac.
  - kaishiro 10y ago
    While I'm not interested in getting into a semantic argument around something arbitrary like what "getting the web" means, unless I'm missing something (which is absolutely possible!) I don't think it's fair to compare the Apple App Store (https://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/ios/id36?mt=8 https://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/ios/id36?mt=8) to the Google Play Store (https://play.google.com/store/apps?hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps?hl=en). One of these is clearly baked for the web, and one of these is not. Also, as an aside, if I have missed something and there is a better app store experience for Apple please let me know - I just chose the top result searching for "Apple App Store".
    - narrowrail 10y ago
      Apple optimizes their app stores for devices that are able to actually install these apps. I don't think it's as convoluted as you seem to think it is. I have one Apple device (MBA) and I have never agreed to the iTunes TOS and never opened it. I have no interest in the App Store except when nagged for updates. Homebrew and SSH to my linux desktop fulfill my needs, and after 4+ years I get ~6hrs battery life. The web has really gone down hill, and one thing I actually like about Apple is they embrace more of the internet than just the web/advertising.
      - kaishiro 10y ago
        "Apple optimizes their app stores for devices that are able to actually install these apps." Right, yes, we agree on that. And I don't find anything at all convoluted about it, I'm not sure why you would think that - there is nothing particularly complex about any of this. My only point is that, in my personal opinion, it's a far nicer experience to explore apps for potential install on an Android phone, via the play store website, then it is for an Apple phone, via this...listing page - when you're not on the device itself. It's possible I'm simply in the minority here but when I'm chilling on the couch thinking I need a new (insert application here), I'd rather use the screen with more real estate. Re: your battery life...cool?
        HappyTypist 10y ago
        People who use Apple products generally use Apple full stack. They'd open the App Store on their iPad, browse for an app, and iCloud will install it across all their devices.
        kaishiro 10y ago
        As a user of Apple products, I'm saying that this isn't always true.
      - ValentineC 10y ago
        > Homebrew and SSH to my linux desktop fulfill my needs, and after 4+ years I get ~6hrs battery life. Possibly unrelated, but did you find a way around having to install XCode before being able to install Homebrew?
- derefr 10y ago
  What do you mean? I've got Maps on my laptop right here: http://i.imgur.com/6AeugdX.png http://i.imgur.com/6AeugdX.png If you're asking why they don't open them up to non-macOS computers, that's Apple's long-standing strategy of making the software part of the selling point of the hardware.
tyingq 10y ago
Somewhat related...what does Apple have in their data centers? I'm curious if they run their own sort of hackintoshes for the density of racked servers. Or if they run some other OS, or just shelves of Pros?
- no_wizard 10y ago
  I've accidentally hit a error or 2 on their website over the years. Backend linux all the way, I think mostly redhat / centOS given the JBOSS errors. Anyone can feel free to correct me.
  - kejaed 10y ago
    If you search around their job site you'll find jobs with RHEL and Ubuntu as keywords
- eropple 10y ago
  They're a Linux-heavy shop and, judging from the recruiter pings I get, a lot of Mesos.

Tanegashima 10y ago

Apple doesn't care about running in other platforms unless it's for profit, so Web technologies are very low priority. As for services, their iTunes platform is really 1950s technology, but it works. I don't know how a company that makes the world's most used Internet service in transactions per second (Apple Push Notifications Service), which works very well, may be "bad".

rimliu 10y ago
A lot of "modern" web tech first went live on iPhone: CSS animations/transforms, canvas, etc.