3 ms·

How exactly?

• realusername 3y ago
  Thanks to Beeper mini, nobody can say "yeah technically you could implement iMessage if you wanted to, it's just a proprietary protocol" anymore, Apple has actively blocked the messaging platform as much as they could. Nobody can say that the mobile apps are open markets anymore, the app would have been rejected on the appstore from the start and is now removed from the play store. Effectively the distribution of this app on mobile devices is in practice impossible now. It also highlights the similar review process and lack of differentiating competitive factor between those two stores. They aren't interchangeable like supermarkets are. We knew all of that already but I like that Beeper mini made it obvious enough that the PR lies of both companies cannot work here.
  • Grustaf 3y ago
    Has anyone ever claimed that iMessage is some kind of open network that anyone can build apps for? I think most people presume it's just as closed as the rest of iCloud. I don't know what the legal status of the protocol per se is, but I don't think anyone thought that you would be allowed to utilize Apple's iMessage servers for your own app.
    • realusername 3y ago
      The other closed networks had third-party clients historically, such as MSN or ICQ. It's not enough to say that it's closed, now we know it's both closed and blocked by Apple. Apple could have said that no other clients really even tried before this case and it would have been true. And that will make a difference in the next antitrust lawsuit, that's one less argument Apple can use to defend themselves. I'm sure most developers expected them to behave like this but now there's a factual proof valid even outside of our tech developers little circle, it's not just speculation.