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What's worse for consumers in the end though? One profession missing in the parent comment are the researchers innovating on differential privacy. Apple has ta
by krrrh 7y ago
What's worse for consumers in the end though?
One profession missing in the parent comment are the researchers innovating on differential privacy. Apple has taken great pains to figure out ways to improve their maps without storing massive amounts of private user data, to the extent that they split routes in half, fuzz addresses, and analyze the start and end of trips independently.
There's an argument that Google had such a huge head start on maps, that without Apple having the capacity to set defaults (on a platform that is not even a plurality of users), Apple Maps wouldn't have gotten enough users to justify improvements to where it is now. Apple also didn't get serious about having its own maps until Google attempted to exercise their at-the-time near-monopoly power to jack up licensing costs. Now the mere existence of Apple maps puts pressure on Google to improve the privacy features of its own map products as we've seen recently.
Apple funds map development through device sales, and Google does it through targeted advertising, map services for third parties, and profiling users. Do we value competition only of mapping products, or should we also value a diversity of business models for mapping products? It's no small decision to bring in the Kommissar.
- selectodude 7y agoGoogle didn’t try and raise the price, they demanded user data in exchange for access.
- krrrh 7y agoGood correction! Though I recall that negotiations broke down across both factors.
- tinus_hn 7y agoAnyway it was clear that Google got leverage out of the deal, for instance they wouldn’t allow navigation while it was available on Android, no vector maps while they were available on Android etc. That was never going to work for Apple.
- theboat 7y agoWhile I sympathize with your viewpoint, you're imposing your personal values on consumers who demonstrate their willingness to exchange personal data for free services every day. You and many HN users may balk at this, but most people are ok with trading privacy for real-time traffic predictions. Apple shouldn't receive an unfair market advantage because they embody the values you hold dear. Sidenote: I disagree that Apple Maps' success puts pressure on Google to up their privacy game. On the contrary, Google Maps comparative advantage is their data trove, as there are many more users of Google Maps than Apple Maps, so they seem more likely to lean on that to succeed. I wouldn't look to the market to improve privacy, since as I said above, the market clearly doesn't care about privacy much at all. Without a seismic shift in public attitudes towards privacy, it's up to the government or the companies themselves to adapt.
- the_reformation 7y agoBy this same logic, consumers are willing to exchange their inability to set a default Maps app in exchange for the iPhone bundle, at the price Apple provides (discounted because of the services revenue they can extract.)
- wolco 7y agoiPhones are not the market leader and do not have to follow molopoly based rules. They can allow apple maps only and all is legal.
- krrrh 7y agoPress release from google, 2019-10-02: https://www.google.com/amp/s/blog.google/technology/safety-security/keeping-privacy-and-security-simple-you/amp/ https://www.google.com/amp/s/blog.google/technology/safety-s... * Added incognito mode to maps * Expands auto deletion of old data to include locations, and location searches Now... this might not be due solely to competitive pressures from Apple, but it was a topic of conversations I had with pro-privacy Android users I know who have been warming up to iOS. Feature introductions like this definitely take the edge off.
- celticmusic 7y agocalling ignorance a willingness seems a bit much to me.
- hesarenu 7y agoAre you saying users should give up freedom privacy( even though apple is willing to give up in china ). User choice is still better then corporate handouts.