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So what you want is to remove the option of safety from those that want it because you personally do not see the need for it.

iOS is not close to a monopoly. People are perfectly free to have Android devices and side load apps on to them. It is curious that the campaigning focuses so strongly on destroying the high trust part that exists and not on promoting a trusted setup on Android.




> People are perfectly free to have Android devices and side load apps on to them.

And people who do not like "unsafe" technology are perfectly free to not use it at all.

If you make something idiot-proof, they will simply provide a better idiot.


> And people who do not like "unsafe" technology are perfectly free to not use it at all.

Not if legislators make it illegal to sell an alternative…


That's like talking about "removing the option" of slavery. Nobody is proposing keeping you from working for free, or from strictly using apps approved by and distributed from Apple.


Grandma doesn't have to install an alternate app store or sideload apps, and she can sill rely on the same "high trust" environment that allows for apps like "LassPass" to scam her in the Apple App Store.

Hell, when she is scammed, Apple apologists will tell her it's not really that bad, and to get off Apple's case about it...

Gruber:

> Instead, the scam LassPass app tries to steer you to creating a “pro” account subscription for $2/month, $10/year, or a $50 lifetime purchase. Those are actually low prices for a scam app — a lot of scammy apps try to charge like $10/week.

(emphasis mine)

Lucky people, I guess? They could have been scammed for more?

He also claims, without any way to know, that "it doesn't look like this was made to steal LastPass credentials".

The whole article is very much a "yeah it sucks and shouldn't happen, but this is no big deal, really, why are you getting all up in Apple's face about it?" vibe.


> So what you want is to remove the option of safety from those that want it because you personally do not see the need for it

Huh? No one's forcing them to install F-Droid for crying out loud. If you want what Apple does, then use Apple's store.


Erm, what? Your statement makes no sense whatsoever.

It's perfectly reasonable for the default setting of a phone to forbid sideloading apps. And anyone who doesn't want to can leave it that way. That's the 'option of safety'.


Until such time as a big player like Epic or Facebook decides that the only way you’re getting their apps is by using a store they control and can bypass all permission controls on. When that happens it’s going to become 2000’s browser toolbars all over again


Oh no! People will have to install a store from a developer they trust which contains products from that developer they trust in order to install those products from that developer they trust! How unsafe! This is absolutely removing options from the user!

Sheesh...


You don't have to use their apps. I never understood this argument. Why would you even want to use the apps of companies that you don't trust?


That hasn't yet happened on Android. While it might happen on iOS, it's not reasonable to assume that it will happen.


It has already happened on android in the case of Epic. They require that you side load their launcher/store in order to play games such as Fortnite. There was a big lawsuit about google’s fees which precipitated this.

https://www.fortnite.com/mobile/android/new-device?lang=en-U...


My hypothesis is that it’ll happen to both iOS and Android once iOS has been forced to allow third party app stores in most major markets.

Why? Because historically, iOS has been the more profitable platform for mobile developers by a large margin. The payoff for building and maintaining an alternative app store for Android only is questionable, but improves significantly if the store can exist on iOS too.




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