3 ms·

Because the problem is more complex. It is not only about the fees - obviously some large companies have that in their focus - but about general user freedom. L

by _ph_ 3y ago

Because the problem is more complex. It is not only about the fees - obviously some large companies have that in their focus - but about general user freedom. Like being able to use a web browser of your choice. Or, in general, not have Apple reject some software from their App Store for reasons which are not tied to clear security violations. It is possible to deliver free apps through the App Store without any download limits. But with competing App Stores it isn't.

jacobsimon 3y ago
I think you’re right, but my take is that the user freedom bit is a regulatory overreach. Couldn’t Apple literally turn off the App Store tomorrow, or replace everything with first party applications? There’s no law saying they have to support all these developers, though the DMA may require this indirectly. It feels like a slippery slope to “you need to be able to run Android on your iPhone hardware” or something like that. It just seems really far fetched to me if you were to apply this logic to other industries- eg “movie theaters must let you play any movie, not just the movies they want!” Or “movie theaters must allow you to bring your own popcorn or allow competing concessions vendors!” What I think is within regulatory oversight is the fees people charge within certain jurisdictions, because governments should regulate commerce. Similar to how they regulate bank fees, real estate transactions, VAT, etc. They could set a maximum, prevent charging fees for free software, or all sorts of other things that would help developers and consumers without forcing Apple to support weird 3rd party app distributors.
- ossyrial 3y ago
  > It just seems really far fetched to me if you were to apply this logic to other industries- eg “movie theaters must let you play any movie, not just the movies they want!” Or “movie theaters must allow you to bring your own popcorn or allow competing concessions vendors!” If a local movie theater doesn't play the movie you like, you can go to a competitor. If no such competitor exists, and movie theaters would be essential to daily life, such a method would make more sense. The DMA targets "gatekeepers", ie not local movie theaters, but enormous companies that have done their best to entrench their market position by making competition difficult or impossible. I would keep that in mind when comparing to other industries. You can of course buy an Android, and I am not an expert on the DMA or economics, but the playfield of a group of local movie theaters is wildly different from Apple's Apple Store (or browser, or Apple Music store, etc).

by _ph_ 3y ago

jacobsimon 3y ago

I think you’re right, but my take is that the user freedom bit is a regulatory overreach. Couldn’t Apple literally turn off the App Store tomorrow, or replace everything with first party applications? There’s no law saying they have to support all these developers, though the DMA may require this indirectly. It feels like a slippery slope to “you need to be able to run Android on your iPhone hardware” or something like that. It just seems really far fetched to me if you were to apply this logic to other industries- eg “movie theaters must let you play any movie, not just the movies they want!” Or “movie theaters must allow you to bring your own popcorn or allow competing concessions vendors!” What I think is within regulatory oversight is the fees people charge within certain jurisdictions, because governments should regulate commerce. Similar to how they regulate bank fees, real estate transactions, VAT, etc. They could set a maximum, prevent charging fees for free software, or all sorts of other things that would help developers and consumers without forcing Apple to support weird 3rd party app distributors.

ossyrial 3y ago
> It just seems really far fetched to me if you were to apply this logic to other industries- eg “movie theaters must let you play any movie, not just the movies they want!” Or “movie theaters must allow you to bring your own popcorn or allow competing concessions vendors!” If a local movie theater doesn't play the movie you like, you can go to a competitor. If no such competitor exists, and movie theaters would be essential to daily life, such a method would make more sense. The DMA targets "gatekeepers", ie not local movie theaters, but enormous companies that have done their best to entrench their market position by making competition difficult or impossible. I would keep that in mind when comparing to other industries. You can of course buy an Android, and I am not an expert on the DMA or economics, but the playfield of a group of local movie theaters is wildly different from Apple's Apple Store (or browser, or Apple Music store, etc).