Mastodawn

BenRiceM Sep 6, 2024

I agree with some of @gruber’s points:
- browser ballot pages are likely confusing for many users; being informed of choice != being forced to make a choice
- the EU should more in conversation with Apple about what features are non-compliant

But it misses the forest for the trees:
Apple holds ungodly amount of power over many aspects of daily life. Banking, grocery shopping, dating, communication, art and culture are all mediated by our phones
https://mastodon.social/@daringfireball/113091446183508943

Show thread

John Gruber Sep 6, 2024

@BenRiceM Putting aside the argument that those things are better under Apple's App Store control than they were before or would be without (at least banking, grocery shopping, and communication -- I can't speak to dating in recent decades), the DMA, thus far, has reduced absolutely none of Apple's control other than being able to play Fortnite on iOS devices in the EU again.

Show thread

Casey Liss Sep 6, 2024

@gruber @BenRiceM Delta has entered the chat.

Show thread

John Gruber Sep 7, 2024

@caseyliss @BenRiceM The DMA resulting in Apple reconsidering its policy on game emulators is a happy side effect, but the fact is we have Delta in the App Store now. And I think if you asked Vestager for 100 goals of the DMA, “game emulators in the App Store" wouldn't have made the list.

Show thread

Casey Liss Sep 7, 2024

@gruber @BenRiceM Sure, but I _do_ think the goal is “ensure Apple’s customers more choice and stop Apple from standing in their way”.

If that's the ultimate goal — regardless of the _how_ — then I think the DMA is [marginally] successful so far.

Show thread

Jaime Creixems Sep 7, 2024

@caseyliss @gruber @BenRiceM but it’s not.

I don’t have the choice to mirror my phone to my Mac.

I don’t have the choice to have an assistant the understand my personal context.

But I can install Fortnite, I guess.

I’m getting a worse product than the rest of the world gets, and have no choice over that.

Show thread

BenRiceM Sep 7, 2024

@webjac I agree, not having access to screen mirroring is ridiculous. It’s the kind of integration that should be celebrated.

Apple Intelligence is still US English only, right? I don’t think it’s launching worldwide in any meaningful way, yet. Apple often have features that are US only at first, so I don’t think the DMA is the only holdup.

Being able to install game emulators is a direct result of the DMA and it’s a huge win for game preservation

Show thread

Craig Grannell

@BenRiceM @webjac The emulators thing was always weird. There have long been emulators on the App Store. What Apple banned was people loading files into them.

On the plus side, despite many, many daft rejections, things are slowly getting better (eg Apple finally allowing iDOS), although MAME4iOS is still having all sorts of issues (albeit reportedly now based primarily on the use of ‘MAME’ in the name).