“In June, the FTC opened an investigation into Apple’s decision to ban developers from using other companies’ tools to develop software for its mobile devices,” Kosman reports. “Apple also shut out Adobe’s Flash video technology from its iPhone and iPad.”
Kosman reports, “According to a source, the European Commission recently joined the FTC probe into whether Apple’s business practices harm competition… The European Union recently adopted a new Digital Agenda aimed at encouraging the interoperability of technology.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Obviously, geniuses abound on both sides of the Atlantic.
Apple (which has nothing resembling a monopoly, by the way) along with every other company on earth that so desires, has every right to protect their platforms from lowest common denominator crapware that fails to take advantage of unique OS hooks.
We don’t want dumbed-down, generic ports excreted by lazy developers on our iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches and neither should the EC, the FTC or any other government entity. The only companies that want such a thing are those who are badly losing the App War. The Nokias, RIMs, and Microsofts of the world don’t care about the quality of the apps (and hence don’t care about their end users, either). They only care about the sheer numbers of apps that they can claim for marketing purposes.
Is the EC, in all of their collective brilliance, going to probe Microsoft (Xbox), Sony (PlayStation), and Nintendo (Wii) for “interoperability of technology,” too? Sounds really stupid, right? Because it is.
So you’ll void your warranty on a Ferrari by modifying it through a third party. Who’d ‘a thunk it?
God damn communists. If it’s Apple’s store, they can sell what they want! Fsck this government intervention bullshit. Apple knows best. They are making these App rules because they don’t want the software to suck. If you don’t like Apple’s App Store rules, then get an Android idiot! Enjoy the viruses, malware, and overall clunky-ass software that sucks up all your RAM. We live in a world filled with idiots. Apple, you should just stop selling the iPhone, and I think that will shut the Govt up, unless of course the governments force you to keep selling the product.
Maybe the governments want to regulate the App Store because their members don’t like the App Store policies but also are unwilling to switch to crappy iPhone alternatives. Apple should just take over the world–they would do a better job than our failing governments anyway.
It’s so funny for all non “Apple-Fanboy” readers to see how indoctrinated (i.e. blind) you all are, regardless of the article posted on MDN. Reading your totally biased “takes” on the articles is equivalent to having elitist democrats give their “opinions” on FOX News. Both are definitely NOT “fair and balanced”. The iPad sucks and the iPhone 4 is not worth the upgrade from a 3GS.
Who is MDN speaking for when saying “we don’t want…”? If resulting software fits the quality norm, why should it not be allowed? And why should Apple exclude a lot at once when Apple claims to evaluate each app individually? Sorry MDN, I love my iPod touch and I like quality. If app generators produce crap, or if developers produce crap with the Apple development tools, I can choose not to get those apps. Then I can choose to load my iPod with it, or not. Looks like I have to choose to remove MDN because the content is getting worse by the day.
OK. I want to hear how they are going to argue that Apple keeping Flash off their iOS platform actually harms other mobile platforms.
In that case, the EC and FTC can enforce apple to accept viruses… well, I believe they did it with Windows
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Ungarelli
You have no bias.
This has clearly got to be a joke. If not I want them to go after Sony for not letting me install Linux on my PS3. Plus all of my other devices that seem to have their own systems. No interoperability. I stuck my cell phone into my toaster the other day expecting to be able to get the GPS location of my breakfast and all I got is a wrecked phone and plastic-y toast. So they need to get samsung and whoever makes my toaster too.
Really!? So these people think it’s okay to force platforms to support competing proprietary platforms? That’s ridiculous! What’s next? All browsers will have to allow support for Internet Explorer extensions?
Sorry, but Flash is a browser plug-in, which means it doesn’t need to be installed for people to still browse the web. Besides, Apple may have completely removed the plug-in architecture on Mobile Safari.
If I were Apple, I would stop distributing Flash with the OS X version of Safari and force people to download it manually from Adobe. You would think that the Mozilla team would’ve already done this. They constantly scream “open”, which is why they won’t support H.264, but yet still ship Firefox with Flash installed.
@ Jafo
Exactly HOW exactly would you know which Apps would be the crap ones?
Apple need to keep up the vetting and quality control standards. This is a vital area that should not be given up.
Actually I disagree with MDN and comments so far…
I agree with Apple’s app store… and its protection of people using the iPhone/iPod/iPad….
But… Apple does have a monopoly… once you buy their phone you have NO options but to buy apps from THEIR store…. again NO Options….
And Developers legally have NO Options but to use Apple’s development environment and pay Apple 30%.
People should understand that buying Apps from the Apple Store means the Apps are “controlled” and safer than buying them other places… but… people should still have the option to buy software other places.
What if you bought a Ford car and they put a gasoline fill hole on it that ONLY would accept gas from pumps secured and sold by Ford ? and if you put ANY other gas in, it would void your warranty ?
Apple is good… I don’t argue that…. but some of the comments make it sound as if Apple is God and no one else could ever deliver a safe app without Apple.
The reason that “if it’s really bad quality software then no one will buy it” argument doesn’t work is because people are lazy. If developers can generate apps quicker at a lower quality level, most (but not all) will do that. Eventually all the good apps will either disappear or be buried by the crap that is easier to find and/or cheaper. Certain guidelines need to be in place to prevent this from happening.
And actually… The fact that Flash is distributed with all major browsers, gives it an unfair advantage over competing “web” platforms. Microsoft should take Apple, Mozilla, Opera, etc… all to court and force them to either ship Silverlight with their browsers or stop distributing Flash. Let’s see how fast Adobe shuts up.
@Confounded
Did you know how the App Store worked when you bought your iPhone? Would you buy the Ford if you knew that only supported gas nozzles could be used, but you knew that there were safe and affordable supported fuel stations? My point is, we all knew how the App Store worked when we got our devices. I’m happy I don’t have Android like problems. I’m glad there’s a controlling body that moderates the crap. If you’re that frustrated, get an Android. Apple has every right to control their products as long as it is disclosed before purchasing.
If you can’t accept this reality, go buy an Android and support something open-source, that’s cool too. But people need to quit whining.
I bought an iPhone KNOWING Apple’s policies regarding the app store & consented to them as part of the process of purchase/activation & AT&T, who I am no fan of, allows a return period. Otherwise, we have all consented to Apple’s policies.
That said, this is about lazy businesses wanting to put sh8t software on iPhones. Not only no way- no effing way.
Monkeyboy will use all the time in the white house to plant his commie comrades wherever he can and will find great support for all his commie policies in the coomunist created EC.
Apple has every right to dictate what platform is used to create it’s apps for the iPhone.
The FTC is replying to a shit-storm of legal briefs filed by Adobe and friends. The bureaucrats need to stay busy for job protection reasons.
“But… Apple does have a monopoly… once you buy their phone you have NO options but to buy apps from THEIR store…. again NO Options….”
NO options… Except for jailbreaking your iPhone, with enables you to do whatever the hell you want with it and get apps from anywhere. Oh, and you have the option of not buying an iPhone. Also, calling Apple a monopoly because of the App Store is like calling Sony a monopoly because they’re the only ones who license Playstation games, OMG!
So yeah, NO options. You know… Aside from the options you have.
“And Developers legally have NO Options but to use Apple’s development environment and pay Apple 30%.”
Because if developers DON’T use Apple’s developer environment and pay them 30%, the penalty is… Nothing. Whoa. Damn that’s frightening. I’d sure hate to be one of the many iPhone developers bypassing the App Store… I’d be scared all the time…
“but… people should still have the option to buy software other places.”
They do.
“What if you bought a Ford car and they put a gasoline fill hole on it that ONLY would accept gas from pumps secured and sold by Ford ? and if you put ANY other gas in, it would void your warranty ?”
What if you bought a Ford car and started replacing its parts with ones from a ride-on lawnmower? Would that void your warranty?
ungarelli:
Only a monkey with shit for brains and a trolling objective would say that the world’s most revolutionary device – The unequivcal sold out iPad sucks and that world retail’s biggest international hit item – the iPhone 4, isn’t worth the upgrade…
You deserve the fanfare that you receive – start a new movement.
I am not a developer. If I were, I wouldn’t mind paying Apple 30% to reach the market Apple has. It is far less expensive than trying to build the market Apple has. If I didn’t want to, I’d develop for some other market. It’s about choice.
@ Confounded:
“But… Apple does have a monopoly… once you buy their phone you have NO options but to buy apps from THEIR store…. again NO Options….”
It’s their platform. You can’t have a “monopoly” over your own product. Monopolies only exist outside single products and apply to open markets. A monopoly means having a vast majority share of a market. Apple doesn’t have a majority share of the App Store or iPhone, it OWNS the App Store and iPhone platform.
The iPhone is NOT an open platform and the App Store is NOT an open market. Neither ever were. Apple doesn’t have to provide any means for downloading and installing applications on their platform and, in fact, they didn’t for an entire year. Just because they do ALLOW some application development, doesn’t mean they should be forced to ALLOW anything and everything. There’s nothing wrong with a company wanting to protect its product.
@Ubermac,
Fu*k off You Racist Right wing tea Bag As*Hol*.
Keep your Fox news lies out of this and go whack off at your book of Glen Beck, he is real Anti American.
Now Apple has the Right to do what they want, without the EU or the FTC pushing their “Pay to Leave you alone” Mentality of corruption.
I don’t know how everyone alse is reading it but to me it seems they are investigating the fact the Apple doesn’t allows third party applications to develope iPhone Apps. I don’t see anywhere that they are investigating the part where Apple is refusing to allow certain applications from being in the App store. Unless I am missing something here.
@ungarelli- only automatons with low self-esteem use words like “fanboy”