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The issue raised is not about video codecs, but about browsers. Apple is using their market position to artificially prevent Safari from being competed against

The issue raised is not about video codecs, but about browsers. Apple is using their market position to artificially prevent Safari from being competed against by other vendors—that is classic antitrust behavior. For comparison, imagine Microsoft banned all browser engines other than EdgeHTML from running on Windows. Would you find that acceptable?

MBCook 4y ago
This is an article about video codecs. I interpreted the above comments as complaining Safari was a problem for not supporting this video codec. So my comment was about their video codec policy.
- MobiusHorizons 4y ago
  You may not be aware, but chrome does exist on iOS, but even so, it is actually running the safari rendering engine because apple prevents other browser engines from running. This effectively prevents chrome or Firefox from offering a browser with av1 support (as far as I am aware) so the browser engine is relevant to the codec policy discussion.
threeseed 4y ago
I don't believe Apple has banned alternative engines. It's just that they don't allow JIT code execution for security reasons which is needed for a comparatively performant engine.
- Jasper_ 4y ago
  Yes, they have banned alternative engines. https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#2.5.6 https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#2.5... > Apps that browse the web must use the appropriate WebKit framework and WebKit Javascript.
  - enkrs 4y ago
    Which is the reason why I choose iOS: I trust Apple to implement the integrations in the WebView for best battery life. To get new OS features in the browser right away. Would Google Chrome implement picture-in-picture on the iPhone if they were running their own engine? I use Firefox on iOS for the password and tab sync integration, and am supper happy that it’s using the WebKit framework. I care about the iOS experience more than some video codec support.
    - vetinari 4y ago
      If the other browsers could implement their engines, you would still have the option not to install them. Since they can not do it, you don't have that option.
      - alwillis 4y ago
        If the other browsers could implement their engines, you would still have the option not to install them. So it’s okay for user who (in theory) installed a 3rd party browser on iOS to have a worse experience and potentially make themselves vulnerable to malware? That’s exactly what Apple doesn’t want.
        paulryanrogers 4y ago
        Or potentially offer a more secure browser than Safari
dmitriid 4y ago
Given that Chrome abuses its market position to ram through and continuously release hundreds of Chrome-only non-standards I view this as a net positive.

MBCook 4y ago

This is an article about video codecs. I interpreted the above comments as complaining Safari was a problem for not supporting this video codec. So my comment was about their video codec policy.

MobiusHorizons 4y ago
You may not be aware, but chrome does exist on iOS, but even so, it is actually running the safari rendering engine because apple prevents other browser engines from running. This effectively prevents chrome or Firefox from offering a browser with av1 support (as far as I am aware) so the browser engine is relevant to the codec policy discussion.

threeseed 4y ago

I don't believe Apple has banned alternative engines. It's just that they don't allow JIT code execution for security reasons which is needed for a comparatively performant engine.

Jasper_ 4y ago
Yes, they have banned alternative engines. https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#2.5.6 https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#2.5... > Apps that browse the web must use the appropriate WebKit framework and WebKit Javascript.
- enkrs 4y ago
  Which is the reason why I choose iOS: I trust Apple to implement the integrations in the WebView for best battery life. To get new OS features in the browser right away. Would Google Chrome implement picture-in-picture on the iPhone if they were running their own engine? I use Firefox on iOS for the password and tab sync integration, and am supper happy that it’s using the WebKit framework. I care about the iOS experience more than some video codec support.
  - vetinari 4y ago
    If the other browsers could implement their engines, you would still have the option not to install them. Since they can not do it, you don't have that option.
    - alwillis 4y ago
      If the other browsers could implement their engines, you would still have the option not to install them. So it’s okay for user who (in theory) installed a 3rd party browser on iOS to have a worse experience and potentially make themselves vulnerable to malware? That’s exactly what Apple doesn’t want.
      - paulryanrogers 4y ago
        Or potentially offer a more secure browser than Safari

dmitriid 4y ago

Given that Chrome abuses its market position to ram through and continuously release hundreds of Chrome-only non-standards I view this as a net positive.