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One thing the article doesn't mention is the effect of Apple's browser engine policy on iOS. Forcing everyone to use WebKit may be anticompetitive, but it's al

by panic 8y ago

One thing the article doesn't mention is the effect of Apple's browser engine policy on iOS. Forcing everyone to use WebKit may be anticompetitive, but it's also the main thing keeping the Chrome/Blink monoculture at bay.

ttoinou 8y ago
anticompetitive It's not. Apple enforces whatever rule they want on their OS
- anth_anm 8y ago
  Microsoft nearly got broken up for a much weaker version of this sort of rule.
  - morsch 8y ago
    The only market Apple has a dominant market position in is Apple phones. In the US and many of the other richest countries, Apple is like Pepsi in terms of market share; in the rest of the world it's more like Dr. Pepper. (Yes, I know this is the Jolt Cola of analogies, I will stick to cars in the future.) https://www.statista.com/statistics/225464/market-share-of-leading-soft-drink-companies-in-the-us-since-2004/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/225464/market-share-of-l...
  - ttoinou 8y ago
    Well, it's a shame then. They were doing nothing wrong
Vinnl 8y ago
Yeah, I've started to grow conflicted on that too. I used to hate it because Safari was lagging behind so far and users couldn't switch, but it also forces web developers to test for interoperability with at least one other browser engine, making it more likely to work in others as well. Safari has caught up a bit, luckily, but it'd be great if it would actually compete with other browsers on features. Unfortunately, I guess if Apple opened up iOS to other browser engines, it'd also compete against Google's marketing machine and reach.
- eridius 8y ago
  I too wish Safari was better about feature parity, but I console myself with the fact that WebKit is significantly more power-efficient than Blink, which is extremely valuable in a battery-powered portable electronic device. Maybe not as important for a desktop computer, but even there using less CPU means the browser works better when my computer is under heavy load (such as when I'm compiling).

by panic 8y ago

ttoinou 8y ago

anticompetitive It's not. Apple enforces whatever rule they want on their OS

anth_anm 8y ago
Microsoft nearly got broken up for a much weaker version of this sort of rule.
- morsch 8y ago
  The only market Apple has a dominant market position in is Apple phones. In the US and many of the other richest countries, Apple is like Pepsi in terms of market share; in the rest of the world it's more like Dr. Pepper. (Yes, I know this is the Jolt Cola of analogies, I will stick to cars in the future.) https://www.statista.com/statistics/225464/market-share-of-leading-soft-drink-companies-in-the-us-since-2004/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/225464/market-share-of-l...
- ttoinou 8y ago
  Well, it's a shame then. They were doing nothing wrong

Vinnl 8y ago

Yeah, I've started to grow conflicted on that too. I used to hate it because Safari was lagging behind so far and users couldn't switch, but it also forces web developers to test for interoperability with at least one other browser engine, making it more likely to work in others as well. Safari has caught up a bit, luckily, but it'd be great if it would actually compete with other browsers on features. Unfortunately, I guess if Apple opened up iOS to other browser engines, it'd also compete against Google's marketing machine and reach.

eridius 8y ago
I too wish Safari was better about feature parity, but I console myself with the fact that WebKit is significantly more power-efficient than Blink, which is extremely valuable in a battery-powered portable electronic device. Maybe not as important for a desktop computer, but even there using less CPU means the browser works better when my computer is under heavy load (such as when I'm compiling).