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> which places strong restrictions on third-party developers

Malware isn't under the probe here; IAP is. Apple's behavior has been objectively awful specifically concerning the subject being discussed. Broadening the argument to Apple's desirable curation process is a misrepresentation of the issue.

People will continue to be able to enjoy the convenience of Apple IAP. Savvy users might seek better prices externally - but convenience does hold immense value. Developers can now also, as a pertinent example, ask for donations for open source projects without being taken down.



Malware was absolutely under probe here until today’s ruling (which closed the door to forcing Apple to allow sideloading).

Had third party app stores/sideloading been allowed to happen as epic demanded, that would have made it impossible for any app sufficiently large enough to demand it from their users.

The risk here was very much a return to the Google/FB “gift cards for root access” scheme, minus the gift cards of course, if they had prevailed they would have just blocked web access to iOS and just demanded you root yourself for them if you want to use their service.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/01/facebook-and-google-...


On the other hand if we had sideloading, we could finally get a browser on iOS that isn’t just Safari reskinned.

Mayne then we would have PWAs that work the same way everywhere.

The existence of competition might even motivate Apple themselves to adopting new video codecs and image formats that weren’t invented inside of Apple Hq.


Go buy a different phone. No one is forcing you to support Apple, and if you already use Android, get off your high horse and stop screwing with a product I like and you don’t.


> Go buy a different phone.

The plaintiff here is a developer, not a fan of any specific device.

"Just don't develop for the phone, then."

Great, who's going to pay out the lost sales?

Also, assuming I "just don't buy an Apple device," I can [legally] develop an app on my Windows or Linux device?


> The risk here was very much a return to the Google/FB

Only Google?[1]

In addition, there's a very steep slippery slope in use here. It is currently possible to sideload on Android, and has been since day one, and yet we don't see the kind of end result you have predicted.

[1]: https://www.macrumors.com/2021/05/06/apple-hulu-special-api-...


I'm not only talking about malware either.

> Apple's behavior has been objectively awful specifically concerning the subject being discussed.

Certainly not objectively. I would very strongly prefer an Apple ecosystem with no in-app purchases at all!




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