6 ms·

Well that's unfortunate and exactly what Apple was trying to protect their users from.

lxgr 2y ago
How? Opera has been available on iOS for many years (using WebKit). A custom WebKit browser can collect/sell/lose your personal data just as easily, assuming that's your concern.
beretguy 2y ago
No, Apple was not trying to protect users from using spyware. They just wanted users to stay inside of their own ecosystem. Apple is not the good guy.
- I_Am_Nous 2y ago
  It's kind of a chicken and egg issue. Apple wanted users to stay in their ecosystem because they control it so tightly, which can increase the general security/trustworthiness of the ecosystem, but it also keeps those users for Apple's benefit. It's as though it's Apple's goldmine, which has restricted access, so the guy trying to bring in TNT to blast everything open isn't allowed in for both the safety of the authorized people in the goldmine AND the protection of the revenue stream in general.
- pastorhudson 2y ago
  Apple can want to lock in users and also want to protect users. These are not mutually exclusive incentives.
sloowm 2y ago
"Protect their users" by installing Google Search Engine by default for $18 billion a year: https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/26/23933206/google-apple-search-deal-safari-18-billion https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/26/23933206/google-apple-se...
latexr 2y ago
Apple was trying to protect users from an app they allowed in their own App Store? If that were true they would simply have rejected the submission or removed it after the fact.
- Nextgrid 2y ago
  Exactly - Apple can still protect users by banning spyware from the store and applying the rules fairly (so including to themselves and other big companies). A trivial and EU-proof solution against spyware is to make GDPR compliance a requirement for App Store submission. The reason they wouldn't do it is because it would have to apply to themselves as well.

lxgr 2y ago

How? Opera has been available on iOS for many years (using WebKit). A custom WebKit browser can collect/sell/lose your personal data just as easily, assuming that's your concern.

beretguy 2y ago

No, Apple was not trying to protect users from using spyware. They just wanted users to stay inside of their own ecosystem. Apple is not the good guy.

I_Am_Nous 2y ago
It's kind of a chicken and egg issue. Apple wanted users to stay in their ecosystem because they control it so tightly, which can increase the general security/trustworthiness of the ecosystem, but it also keeps those users for Apple's benefit. It's as though it's Apple's goldmine, which has restricted access, so the guy trying to bring in TNT to blast everything open isn't allowed in for both the safety of the authorized people in the goldmine AND the protection of the revenue stream in general.
pastorhudson 2y ago
Apple can want to lock in users and also want to protect users. These are not mutually exclusive incentives.

sloowm 2y ago

"Protect their users" by installing Google Search Engine by default for $18 billion a year: https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/26/23933206/google-apple-search-deal-safari-18-billion https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/26/23933206/google-apple-se...

latexr 2y ago

Apple was trying to protect users from an app they allowed in their own App Store? If that were true they would simply have rejected the submission or removed it after the fact.

Nextgrid 2y ago
Exactly - Apple can still protect users by banning spyware from the store and applying the rules fairly (so including to themselves and other big companies). A trivial and EU-proof solution against spyware is to make GDPR compliance a requirement for App Store submission. The reason they wouldn't do it is because it would have to apply to themselves as well.