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Per Macrumors: > Apple is giving app developers in the EU access to NFC and allowing for alternative browser engines, so WebKit will not be required for third-

by judge2020 3y ago

Per Macrumors: > Apple is giving app developers in the EU access to NFC and allowing for alternative browser engines, so WebKit will not be required for third-party browser apps. Apps will be able to offer NFC payments without using Apple Pay or the Wallet app through Host Card Emulation. Apps can also access field detect, and a default app can be set to activate when an iPhone is placed near a terminal. Although this only changes things for us developers. Regular users really don’t care what browser is running the web pages they’re looking at, everyone who downloads chrome does so to get their synced bookmarks and history. https://www.macrumors.com/2024/01/25/ios-17-4-alternative-app-marketplaces-eu/ https://www.macrumors.com/2024/01/25/ios-17-4-alternative-ap...

wiseowise 3y ago
> Regular users really don’t care what browser is running the web pages they’re looking at, everyone who downloads chrome does so to get their synced bookmarks and history. As a regular user - I do.
- EthicalSimilar 3y ago
  You’re on HackerNews. Doesn’t quite scream “regular user”.
  - wiseowise 3y ago
    I don’t develop for a browser or use any advanced features.
noqc 3y ago
Um, no. Regular users care about being able to run ublock origin.
- chinathrow 3y ago
  Sweet sweet Android.
- jerbear4328 3y ago
  Yes, give me my uBlock and Tampermonkey! And many other miscellaneous privacy and convenience extensions that make the web just that much better.
twism 3y ago
that's the case now but in the future you can now offer regular users features that currently only android chrome can do
addicted 3y ago
> Regular users really don’t care what browser is running the web pages they’re looking at, everyone who downloads chrome does so to get their synced bookmarks and history. This is ahistorical. Regular users switched to Firefox and Chrome in droves from IE. And it wasn’t to sync their bookmarks. It was because they provided a much better experience. If Blink or Gecko are able to provide a better experience than WebKit on iOS that would certainly prompt many users to switch to browsers using those engines.
- jahewson 3y ago
  Seems unlikely given that out in the free world we’ve seen a consolidation around Chromium. The web is mature enough at this point that the choice of browser engine mostly isn’t a differentiating factor.
  - pzo 3y ago
    different browser engine can implement API that safari mobile don'w want to implement or are slacking to implement - fullscreen on iPhone - WebBluetooth - WebUSB - WebMIDI - WebSensor - Web Push notifications - that are less limited than in current safari - WASM simd - WASM multithreading - WebGPU This will make PWA apps less crippled.
    - kmlx 3y ago
      i can't wait to see what kind of tracking will be possible with these new technologies :) /s i know these guys https://fingerprint.com https://fingerprint.com use so many of these when fingerprinting.
mvdtnz 3y ago
That's like claiming only mechanics are interested in what engine a car is running - regular users only care about the seat and steering wheel. Regular users care about the experience of the browser. A superior rendering engine can potentially improve this experience.
- asow92 3y ago
  > That's like claiming only mechanics are interested in what engine a car is running - regular users only care about the seat and steering wheel. That's probably true for quite a lot of people in those categories.
  - mvdtnz 3y ago
    Let me help you out here. It isn't true as a generalisation. Ever.
    - asow92 3y ago
      [flagged]
- twism 3y ago
  ha. that claim is true ... most folks don't care if the car is an i4 or v6?
  - mvdtnz 3y ago
    You're missing the point. People can feel that a twin turbo inline 6 drives much smoother and more powerfully than a 1.3L 4 banger even if they don't know the first thing about what's under the bonnet. The engine changes the entire experience.
    - halostatue 3y ago
      And most people don't care at all what's under the bonnet. They want something that reliably gets them from A to B and back, with occasional side trips to C, D and E. They want something that does that in a way that matches their personal style. They want something that isn't going to cost them an arm and a leg to run. Forty, fifty, and sixty years ago people cared a lot more. Starting really in the mid-90s, that changed. Nowadays, there are probably as many gearheads as there were decades ago, but as a population they represent a smaller percentage. And there's a tiny percentage of people who care only so that they can mod their engines to run less efficiently so they can pwn the libz. Inasmuch as people do care about the 1.3 4 banger — they choose it because it generally runs more reliably over time with fewer litres burned per 100km.
e_y_ 3y ago
That's exactly what I predicted for NFC when Apple announced Apple Pay. Apple kept developers from using any of the NFC APIs until they were ready to roll out Apple Pay, and then only allowed non-payment NFC after that. It gave them 10 years to establish Apple Pay. Being the system default was obviously very convenient for customers and there would be a very high bar for any other payment app to compete, but Apple wanted to make absolutely sure there was no possible competition.

wiseowise 3y ago

> Regular users really don’t care what browser is running the web pages they’re looking at, everyone who downloads chrome does so to get their synced bookmarks and history. As a regular user - I do.

EthicalSimilar 3y ago
You’re on HackerNews. Doesn’t quite scream “regular user”.
- wiseowise 3y ago
  I don’t develop for a browser or use any advanced features.

noqc 3y ago

Um, no. Regular users care about being able to run ublock origin.

chinathrow 3y ago
Sweet sweet Android.
jerbear4328 3y ago
Yes, give me my uBlock and Tampermonkey! And many other miscellaneous privacy and convenience extensions that make the web just that much better.

twism 3y ago

that's the case now but in the future you can now offer regular users features that currently only android chrome can do

addicted 3y ago

> Regular users really don’t care what browser is running the web pages they’re looking at, everyone who downloads chrome does so to get their synced bookmarks and history. This is ahistorical. Regular users switched to Firefox and Chrome in droves from IE. And it wasn’t to sync their bookmarks. It was because they provided a much better experience. If Blink or Gecko are able to provide a better experience than WebKit on iOS that would certainly prompt many users to switch to browsers using those engines.

jahewson 3y ago
Seems unlikely given that out in the free world we’ve seen a consolidation around Chromium. The web is mature enough at this point that the choice of browser engine mostly isn’t a differentiating factor.
- pzo 3y ago
  different browser engine can implement API that safari mobile don'w want to implement or are slacking to implement - fullscreen on iPhone - WebBluetooth - WebUSB - WebMIDI - WebSensor - Web Push notifications - that are less limited than in current safari - WASM simd - WASM multithreading - WebGPU This will make PWA apps less crippled.
  - kmlx 3y ago
    i can't wait to see what kind of tracking will be possible with these new technologies :) /s i know these guys https://fingerprint.com https://fingerprint.com use so many of these when fingerprinting.

mvdtnz 3y ago

That's like claiming only mechanics are interested in what engine a car is running - regular users only care about the seat and steering wheel. Regular users care about the experience of the browser. A superior rendering engine can potentially improve this experience.

asow92 3y ago
> That's like claiming only mechanics are interested in what engine a car is running - regular users only care about the seat and steering wheel. That's probably true for quite a lot of people in those categories.
- mvdtnz 3y ago
  Let me help you out here. It isn't true as a generalisation. Ever.
  - asow92 3y ago
    [flagged]
twism 3y ago
ha. that claim is true ... most folks don't care if the car is an i4 or v6?
- mvdtnz 3y ago
  You're missing the point. People can feel that a twin turbo inline 6 drives much smoother and more powerfully than a 1.3L 4 banger even if they don't know the first thing about what's under the bonnet. The engine changes the entire experience.
  - halostatue 3y ago
    And most people don't care at all what's under the bonnet. They want something that reliably gets them from A to B and back, with occasional side trips to C, D and E. They want something that does that in a way that matches their personal style. They want something that isn't going to cost them an arm and a leg to run. Forty, fifty, and sixty years ago people cared a lot more. Starting really in the mid-90s, that changed. Nowadays, there are probably as many gearheads as there were decades ago, but as a population they represent a smaller percentage. And there's a tiny percentage of people who care only so that they can mod their engines to run less efficiently so they can pwn the libz. Inasmuch as people do care about the 1.3 4 banger — they choose it because it generally runs more reliably over time with fewer litres burned per 100km.

e_y_ 3y ago

That's exactly what I predicted for NFC when Apple announced Apple Pay. Apple kept developers from using any of the NFC APIs until they were ready to roll out Apple Pay, and then only allowed non-payment NFC after that. It gave them 10 years to establish Apple Pay. Being the system default was obviously very convenient for customers and there would be a very high bar for any other payment app to compete, but Apple wanted to make absolutely sure there was no possible competition.