> I do not understand how apple users put up with this.
The argument I typically see goes something like:
"I don't want to have to worry about whether I should trust an app or not, so I prefer everything be vetted by Apple. If we allow users to install their own software, then bypassing the app store will become commonplace."
I personally disagree with this notion. In fact, I wouldn't mind a law that says "if a device has an app store, then it must be able to load applications outside of the store".
I think the fears of everybody sideloading malware apps are a little overblown. Many Android phones can have apps sideloaded (and are even rootable), but how many people actually do it?
How did we go from Microsoft getting sued over internet explorer to the situation we're currently in?
> In fact, I wouldn't mind a law that says "if a device has an app store, then it must be able to load applications outside of the store".
this is a great example of a superfluous law we don't need. if you want sideloading, get an Android phone. having no option to get a feature you care about is a problem. not being able to have your dream set of features on a particular phone is not.
The issue I have is that phones and tablets are slowly replacing general purpose computers for the majority of people (at least for day to day use), and there's a fundamental difference in how they operate when it comes to software freedom.
Apple can't be considered a monopoly because there's still a choice of Android, but what happens in the future if the ability to sideload applications on Android phones is removed?
We end up in a scenario where every application must be funneled through an app store where the hardware manufacturer can take a cut of the sales, and I'm not okay with that.
this is an excessively dramatic take on the situation. apple isn't doing anything sneaky here. their whole brand essentially boils down to a line of locked-down, tightly integrated products that do what they are intended to do (by apple) very well. I don't think anyone is confused/misled about this. if you don't trust apple to do the right thing for you most of the time, or if you don't like the idea of a company deciding what the right thing to do is, this is not the brand for you.
I used to have this exact argument with my dad all the time in the early 2010s; he liked apple and I liked android. I couldn't understand it at the time, but my dad liked how locked-down all his devices were. it removed a major source of anxiety he had using technology. years later, I realized it was pretty cool that we could both have phone OSes the way we wanted them.
What Microsoft got in huge trouble for absolutely pales in comparison to what current tech companies get away with. I'm not sure why that is. A combination of oversight getting extremely weak and consumer apathy are my guesses.
As to Apple, there’s no way monopoly laws apply, so new laws would have to be made. Making new laws takes time, as it might be challenging to phrase a law in such a way that it can’t be circumvented and doesn’t have unintended consequences.
Also, government mills mill slowly. In the anti-trust case against Microsoft (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft_Cor...), where laws and jurisprudence existed, it already took 6 years from (first FTC investigation started in 1992, anti-trust lawsuit started in 1998)
I don’t think it is a matter of oversight getting weak; it just takes time. Certainly, the EU is willing to take action.
The argument I typically see goes something like:
"I don't want to have to worry about whether I should trust an app or not, so I prefer everything be vetted by Apple. If we allow users to install their own software, then bypassing the app store will become commonplace."
I personally disagree with this notion. In fact, I wouldn't mind a law that says "if a device has an app store, then it must be able to load applications outside of the store".
I think the fears of everybody sideloading malware apps are a little overblown. Many Android phones can have apps sideloaded (and are even rootable), but how many people actually do it?
How did we go from Microsoft getting sued over internet explorer to the situation we're currently in?