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A much simpler way to put this is: What if I explicitly want a smartphone with a platform where all third-party software has to follow the platform’s rules? iPh

A much simpler way to put this is: What if I explicitly want a smartphone with a platform where all third-party software has to follow the platform’s rules? iPhones will actively become worse for me if third party app stores are allowed. Or perhaps even more simply: How does making the iPhone platform more like the Android platform somehow give customers more choice?

Jensson 5y ago
So what you are afraid of is that people would prefer alternative app stores? If they don't then you have nothing to worry about, as long as the Apple app store has such a huge market share companies will continue to support it. And if you are right and most Apple user really wants another app store and will flock to them causing companies to abandon the Apple app store then why should your opinion on this matter more than theirs? > Or perhaps even more simply: How does making the iPhone platform more like the Android platform somehow give customers more choice? You get just as much choice as before, you can choose Apple hardware and software just like then. Just that choosing Apple hardware and software no longer forces you to also choose their App store as your only way to access other software, so it also alters that choice a bit, but you still have as many choices as before. However just like android you will likely see that almost everyone chooses to use it anyway, so companies will still continue to support it. Your fears are totally unwarranted.
- darkwizard42 5y ago
  Not parent, but I'm not afraid that people would prefer alternative app stores, I'm afraid that developers will hang shady incentives and dark patterns into getting users to prefer them... Look at the "choice" we got when Epic opened up their own game launcher/store. It created all these awful exclusives on those platforms and ultimately people still picked the terrible Epic experience (buggy launcher, crashes, etc.) just to get those games. That isn't consumer choice... that is developer choice by incentive/price discrimination/exclusivity.
- tshaddox 5y ago
  No, I’m afraid that iPhone owners would have a significantly worse experience if iPhones allowed alternative app stores, full stop. I’m not concerned with deciding who to blame when users install bad software (and I don’t think Apple is concerned with that either). I’m not arguing that my opinion matters more than anyone else’s. I am just making an argument for my prediction that customer satisfaction would go down if this change happened.
- bzzzt 5y ago
  Just look at the new privacy labels which were so impopular with the big advertising giants Google even paused updating some app for months just so they wouldn't have to tell users what data they were sharing. Wouldn't Google (or Facebook) prefer to have an iOS appstore where they didn't have to tell users what they were doing? Would they make the effort to release their apps on the Apple appstore if that wasn't the only way?
stale2002 5y ago
> What if I explicitly want a smartphone with a platform where all third-party software has to follow the platform’s rules? It is pretty simple. A user could be given the option to "lock down" their phone. That way, if you want your smartphone to only allow apps that follow the platform's rules, that would be your choice. What you wouldn't be able to do, is force other users to do what you want. That way, you get what you want for your phone, and others get what they want for their phone.
- tshaddox 5y ago
  > It is pretty simple. A user could be given the option to "lock down" their phone. And I would argue that they have already made this choice by buying an iPhone. At this point it’s one of the most obvious and significant differences between the two dominant smartphone platforms.
  - Jensson 5y ago
    > At this point it’s one of the most obvious and significant differences between the two dominant smartphone platforms. Only to tech people, typical people see the messaging app, hardware and ecosystem integrations as the main features. Switching from apple to another phone isn't just buying new hardware but also giving up on the entire apple account and ecosystem.
  - stale2002 5y ago
    > And I would argue that they have already made this choice by buying an iPhone Ok, and an alternative solution, which gives more people choice, is to allow people who buy an iPhone, and lock it down of their own free choice, and allow people who don't want their iPhone locked down to not lock it down. That way both groups get what they want. You would lock down your phone if you want, and other people, who don't want it locked down would be able to do that, both on an iPhone.

Jensson 5y ago

So what you are afraid of is that people would prefer alternative app stores? If they don't then you have nothing to worry about, as long as the Apple app store has such a huge market share companies will continue to support it. And if you are right and most Apple user really wants another app store and will flock to them causing companies to abandon the Apple app store then why should your opinion on this matter more than theirs? > Or perhaps even more simply: How does making the iPhone platform more like the Android platform somehow give customers more choice? You get just as much choice as before, you can choose Apple hardware and software just like then. Just that choosing Apple hardware and software no longer forces you to also choose their App store as your only way to access other software, so it also alters that choice a bit, but you still have as many choices as before. However just like android you will likely see that almost everyone chooses to use it anyway, so companies will still continue to support it. Your fears are totally unwarranted.

darkwizard42 5y ago
Not parent, but I'm not afraid that people would prefer alternative app stores, I'm afraid that developers will hang shady incentives and dark patterns into getting users to prefer them... Look at the "choice" we got when Epic opened up their own game launcher/store. It created all these awful exclusives on those platforms and ultimately people still picked the terrible Epic experience (buggy launcher, crashes, etc.) just to get those games. That isn't consumer choice... that is developer choice by incentive/price discrimination/exclusivity.
tshaddox 5y ago
No, I’m afraid that iPhone owners would have a significantly worse experience if iPhones allowed alternative app stores, full stop. I’m not concerned with deciding who to blame when users install bad software (and I don’t think Apple is concerned with that either). I’m not arguing that my opinion matters more than anyone else’s. I am just making an argument for my prediction that customer satisfaction would go down if this change happened.
bzzzt 5y ago
Just look at the new privacy labels which were so impopular with the big advertising giants Google even paused updating some app for months just so they wouldn't have to tell users what data they were sharing. Wouldn't Google (or Facebook) prefer to have an iOS appstore where they didn't have to tell users what they were doing? Would they make the effort to release their apps on the Apple appstore if that wasn't the only way?

stale2002 5y ago

> What if I explicitly want a smartphone with a platform where all third-party software has to follow the platform’s rules? It is pretty simple. A user could be given the option to "lock down" their phone. That way, if you want your smartphone to only allow apps that follow the platform's rules, that would be your choice. What you wouldn't be able to do, is force other users to do what you want. That way, you get what you want for your phone, and others get what they want for their phone.

tshaddox 5y ago
> It is pretty simple. A user could be given the option to "lock down" their phone. And I would argue that they have already made this choice by buying an iPhone. At this point it’s one of the most obvious and significant differences between the two dominant smartphone platforms.
- Jensson 5y ago
  > At this point it’s one of the most obvious and significant differences between the two dominant smartphone platforms. Only to tech people, typical people see the messaging app, hardware and ecosystem integrations as the main features. Switching from apple to another phone isn't just buying new hardware but also giving up on the entire apple account and ecosystem.
- stale2002 5y ago
  > And I would argue that they have already made this choice by buying an iPhone Ok, and an alternative solution, which gives more people choice, is to allow people who buy an iPhone, and lock it down of their own free choice, and allow people who don't want their iPhone locked down to not lock it down. That way both groups get what they want. You would lock down your phone if you want, and other people, who don't want it locked down would be able to do that, both on an iPhone.