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It's time for an anti-trust action against Apple.

henryfjordan 6y ago
See Apple v Pepper for an ongoing anti-trust lawsuit seeking to force Apple to allow side-loading apps: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc._v._Pepper https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc._v._Pepper
Rudism 6y ago
While I agree that Apple's app store extortion policies are abhorrent, I don't know if I agree that legal action is the answer. Isn't it Apple's right to set whatever policies they want on their own platform? Isn't the answer to this problem just to stop using Apple products and move to platforms that are more open and not as hostile to consumers and developers? By using iPhones and Macs you're implicitly agreeing to and giving financial credence to Apple's practices. There are plenty of alternatives to Apple out there, and if Apple somehow provides enough value to you to make them more appealing despite their App Store strangleholds and anti-consumer policies, then haven't they earned that right?
- piva00 6y ago
  Anti-trust laws are built exactly for the cases where it is not easy or feasibly possible to move to a different platform because the platform itself is too large of a market for others to sideline it if they get abusive. It's exactly designed and thought of to protect people (and smaller companies) from the power that a single entity might have over them. How can you say that, realistically, the way forward for a company is to just drop one of the largest computing environments (iOS/App Store), even if a company would prefer to do that they can't because that would hurt their shareholders. If a smaller company then you are ostracised to a smaller market because of a bully company. Yeah, Apple may start to bleed developers the more they start to be bullish but that doesn't mean they will lose users, and users attract developers. It's the same case as Uber: you encroach the base your business model depends on (driver/developer) into your influence while holding the bag that are their customers (riders/app users) and start to bleed them out slowly, upping the fees, adding more requirements for them to be allowed inside your walls, etc., until the breaking point, then recede a bit. Rinse and repeat. Anti-trust exists to tame this, it's time for Apple to be challenged on their free reign.

See Apple v Pepper for an ongoing anti-trust lawsuit seeking to force Apple to allow side-loading apps: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc._v._Pepper https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc._v._Pepper

Rudism 6y ago

While I agree that Apple's app store extortion policies are abhorrent, I don't know if I agree that legal action is the answer. Isn't it Apple's right to set whatever policies they want on their own platform? Isn't the answer to this problem just to stop using Apple products and move to platforms that are more open and not as hostile to consumers and developers? By using iPhones and Macs you're implicitly agreeing to and giving financial credence to Apple's practices. There are plenty of alternatives to Apple out there, and if Apple somehow provides enough value to you to make them more appealing despite their App Store strangleholds and anti-consumer policies, then haven't they earned that right?

piva00 6y ago
Anti-trust laws are built exactly for the cases where it is not easy or feasibly possible to move to a different platform because the platform itself is too large of a market for others to sideline it if they get abusive. It's exactly designed and thought of to protect people (and smaller companies) from the power that a single entity might have over them. How can you say that, realistically, the way forward for a company is to just drop one of the largest computing environments (iOS/App Store), even if a company would prefer to do that they can't because that would hurt their shareholders. If a smaller company then you are ostracised to a smaller market because of a bully company. Yeah, Apple may start to bleed developers the more they start to be bullish but that doesn't mean they will lose users, and users attract developers. It's the same case as Uber: you encroach the base your business model depends on (driver/developer) into your influence while holding the bag that are their customers (riders/app users) and start to bleed them out slowly, upping the fees, adding more requirements for them to be allowed inside your walls, etc., until the breaking point, then recede a bit. Rinse and repeat. Anti-trust exists to tame this, it's time for Apple to be challenged on their free reign.