Apple to allow iOS app installations from websites in the EU
Businesses are made to deliver their owners profits. No company will ever willingly ditch an activity that generates income. If there’s something permanent in this world, it’s this core nature of for-profit undertakings. This week, it became known that Apple plans to allow installations of iOS apps directly from websites in the EU. While the App Store isn’t the primary moneymaker for the Cupertino giant, it certainly isn’t a minor asset. So why did Apple decide to break its own monopoly over this aspect of the ecosystem?
It’s the law
Last year, the European Union forced Apple to allow developers to bypass its App Store payment system when transacting with users. That was big news, since the tech giant is well known to use every opportunity to earn (remember the $19 polishing cloth?), and that decision obviously shaved off a certain portion of its revenue. But the court put it as an ultimatum, and to remain on the European market, Apple had to comply.
Continuing down this path, the company will open the gates for apps to be installed from websites sometime later this spring. It did, however, use every possible loophole to make it difficult for all parties involved: there are numerous limitations for both users and developers who want to bond outside of Apple’s playground. For example, users will have to go through a multi-step decision confirmation process, with some stages not really obvious, and developers will need to be big enough and good enough, with Apple making the final decision on bigness and goodness.
Still a tectonic shift
Even considering the wide array of barriers Apple puts before developers and users wishing to circumvent its App Store, this change is major. First off, because the company failed to stand its ground and yielded to the court’s decision, and secondly, it shows that on the level of software, it’s not just possible but isn’t that complicated, even when the business does everything possible to comply and retain its revenue source at the same time. Thus, the future may hold even greater demonopolization of the Apple world.
In the realm of Macs, it’s a bit more relaxed: you do have alternatives, and one of the best ways to explore them is with the help of Mac Informer:
It’s lightweight, useful, and totally free. Enjoy your Mac!
