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One example I saw cited recently is the Web browser itself. This is according to one of the original iPhone developers at Apple: > Apple’s iOS rules would not

One example I saw cited recently is the Web browser itself. This is according to one of the original iPhone developers at Apple: > Apple’s iOS rules would not have allowed for the invention of the web browser. Let that sink in. They would have rejected one of the most important technical innovations in the history of computing. Microsoft‘s bully tactic of making IE free seems quaint in comparison. > But here’s the kicker: think of all the other amazing ideas that haven’t gotten a chance to be invented because they aren’t allowed on mobile devices. Mosaic happened less than 10 years after the Macintosh. We very well might have already had a browser-caliber invention by now. > Just for people asking: the flagrant violations of AppStore policy that web browsers would be rejected for in this hypothetical are: > 1) Running outside code > 2) Allowing payments that circumvent Apple’s IAP > 3) Allowing access to NSFW content Source: https://twitter.com/tolmasky/status/1297199788316692480 https://twitter.com/tolmasky/status/1297199788316692480 More commentary: https://mjtsai.com/blog/2020/08/25/potential/ https://mjtsai.com/blog/2020/08/25/potential/ It’s hard to give specific examples about innovation that hasn’t happened, if only because not everyone is sufficiently innovative to come up with truly groundbreaking ideas. I doubt any of the original Mosaic developers had any idea just how important their original innovation would become.

Razengan 6y ago
I get what you're saying, but right now, in the current state of the industry, here's the thing: People are free to "innovate" and experiment and invent on Android and the PC, and if an innovation is deemed desirable on Apple's curated platform — which they are perfectly within their rights to control, and millions of users continue to be happy with that — then Apple will make a provision for it. On iOS, there would be a whole host of problems with allowing third-party browser engines and app stores that the people clamoring for looser restrictions have yet to address: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24469664 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24469664 Not the least of which is: How would you enforce a user's settings for privacy and parental controls on third-party browsers and app stores?
wruza 6y ago
>hard to give specific examples about innovation that hasn’t happened It's hard, but not because of prohibited innovation. It's because we have android, and it doesn't have neither ios rules nor a fantastic potential innovation that breaks the deal with apple. There is simply no example that could be used as a good enough argument. Apple users do not live in a vacuum as well, many of them have seen or used other platforms and still stick with ios as it is. >iOS rules would not have allowed for the invention of the web browser. Let that sink in. Web browser is a highly secure piece of software, protected on par or even harder than the os itself. If any ios app could freely download, compile and execute an arbitrary code from the internet, that would be a world-wide security and privacy disaster every few weeks. Let that sink in instead.
- oarsinsync 6y ago
  > Web browser is a highly secure piece of software, protected on par or even harder than the os itself. If any ios app could freely download, compile and execute an arbitrary code from the internet, that would be a world-wide security and privacy disaster every few weeks It sounds like you’re saying iOS is insecure compared to WebKit and Blink, and that they can be trusted to run arbitrary code downloaded from arbitrary untrusted sources, but iOS cannot. That’s a pretty damning indictment of the state of iOS, if it’s less capable of sandboxing than a browser, despite having tight coupling between hardware and software. > Let that sink in instead. Tragically, you’re probably right too.

Razengan 6y ago

I get what you're saying, but right now, in the current state of the industry, here's the thing: People are free to "innovate" and experiment and invent on Android and the PC, and if an innovation is deemed desirable on Apple's curated platform — which they are perfectly within their rights to control, and millions of users continue to be happy with that — then Apple will make a provision for it. On iOS, there would be a whole host of problems with allowing third-party browser engines and app stores that the people clamoring for looser restrictions have yet to address: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24469664 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24469664 Not the least of which is: How would you enforce a user's settings for privacy and parental controls on third-party browsers and app stores?

wruza 6y ago

>hard to give specific examples about innovation that hasn’t happened It's hard, but not because of prohibited innovation. It's because we have android, and it doesn't have neither ios rules nor a fantastic potential innovation that breaks the deal with apple. There is simply no example that could be used as a good enough argument. Apple users do not live in a vacuum as well, many of them have seen or used other platforms and still stick with ios as it is. >iOS rules would not have allowed for the invention of the web browser. Let that sink in. Web browser is a highly secure piece of software, protected on par or even harder than the os itself. If any ios app could freely download, compile and execute an arbitrary code from the internet, that would be a world-wide security and privacy disaster every few weeks. Let that sink in instead.

oarsinsync 6y ago
> Web browser is a highly secure piece of software, protected on par or even harder than the os itself. If any ios app could freely download, compile and execute an arbitrary code from the internet, that would be a world-wide security and privacy disaster every few weeks It sounds like you’re saying iOS is insecure compared to WebKit and Blink, and that they can be trusted to run arbitrary code downloaded from arbitrary untrusted sources, but iOS cannot. That’s a pretty damning indictment of the state of iOS, if it’s less capable of sandboxing than a browser, despite having tight coupling between hardware and software. > Let that sink in instead. Tragically, you’re probably right too.