Steve Troughton-SmithJun 21, 2024

"iPhone Mirroring, SharePlay Screen Sharing enhancements, and Apple Intelligence”

Apple's screen sharing being the only one with remote control is very clearly self-preferencing. iPhone Mirroring, though? Beats me. None of these actually hit upon DMA rules directly, so maybe Apple's just pulling out the dirty tricks to try to turn users against legislators. If they applied this imaginary criteria to all their existing software, they'd have to un-ship virtually everything
https://mastodon.social/@macrumors/112655635256850912

Show threadJohn GruberJun 21, 2024
@stroughtonsmith What do you expect when you enforce the “spirit”, rather than letter, of the law? The CTF doesn't violate the letter of the DMA either and Apple is going to get dinged for it.
Show threadNiléaneJun 21, 2024
@gruber @stroughtonsmith Come on, you know the CTF clearly violates the letter of the DMA. I don’t think there is any scenario in the context of this law where it's okay for Apple to charge developers who distribute their apps completely outside of the App Store.
Show threadJohn GruberJun 21, 2024
@nileane @stroughtonsmith I have read the entire DMA and I see nothing that says a gatekeeping platform can't charge for access to its platform. It targets only the way Apple has been doing so to date -- by allowing distribution exclusively through the App Store, and requiring all commerce through the App Store to use Apple's payments.
Show threadJonathan Joelson

@gruber @nileane @stroughtonsmith Hypothetically, if the CTF were some absurd amount like a million dollars per install, do you think the argument that it complies with the DMA would still be reasonable?

The best thing Apple could do to convince developers and the EC that its CTF is not a poison pill intended to partially circumvent the DMA is to charge it for all apps on the platform, even those inside Apple’s App Store.

Jun 22, 2024 at 11:30amIvory for iOS
Show threadJohn GruberJun 22, 2024
@jjoelson @nileane @stroughtonsmith Yes. It would be fine for any company to make a platform where there's a million dollar entry fee for third-party development. Why not?
Show threadNiléaneJun 22, 2024
@gruber @jjoelson @stroughtonsmith It would not be fine if that company's platform had a dominant position on the market.
Show threadJohn GruberJun 22, 2024
@nileane @jjoelson @stroughtonsmith To be clear, I think it would be fine for the CTF to be absurdly expensive in principle; not under the DMA. I mean it certainly sounds like the EC is going to rule that 50 cents isn't legal, so of course €1M wouldn't be.
Show threadJonathan JoelsonJun 22, 2024
@gruber @nileane @stroughtonsmith If it wasn’t clear, I’m talking specifically about Apple in the context of the DMA. The reason it might not be fine is because the DMA says Apple must allow app distribution outside of Apple’s App Store but a large enough CTF de facto bans any developer from actually doing so.
Show threadJohn GruberJun 22, 2024
@jjoelson @nileane @stroughtonsmith Charging the CTF for all apps including from the App Store may well be where the EU is heading. I don't know.