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0 pointsrejhgadellaa2mo ago0 comments

> In other words, Apple has successfully prevented you from writing a web application

... by abusing their monopoly position on iOS (instead of competing).

Good outcome?

0 comments

From the perspective of avoiding a web that's wholly controlled by Google? Yeah, absolutely.

Letting my users have access to the Web Bluetooth API is not making Google somehow take control of the web. If Apple won't implement it, and they won't allow other browsers on their platform, that's plainly an abusive business tactic. It's far worse than what Microsoft did by simply include IE with Windows - Microsoft never forced every browser application to use Internet Explorer. Can you imagine the outrage if they did??

But somehow Apple gets a pass, and you think they're somehow saving the web? Just stop.

Apple is stifling progress in favor of profit.

mort962mo ago

You're shadow boxing. I never said Apple isn't engaging in abusive business tactics. They clearly are. I just think the result benefits the open web by taking power away from Google.

leptons2mo ago

And I pointed out that they don't help the open web, they stifle innovation of the web by abusing their power for profit.

Which I think is far worse than anything you think Google is trying to do.

I'm not giving Google a free pass here, sure they can be abusive, I hated "AMP" and I'm glad it got thrown on the junk pile. That was clearly abusive. But implementing Web Bluetooth? Not abusive, it's progress. And it's too bad Apple abuses their power and stifles progress in this case.

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hasanhaja2mo ago

I don't think it does benefit the open web. If consumers can't get value from the web, they'll go where they can find it. That is currently native apps, which is a closed and proprietary ecosystem. This causes the market itself to shrink, which means fewer and fewer people will invest in the web [1].

Here's a good podcast episode with people from the Open Web Advocacy: https://changelog.com/jsparty/316

> I do, frankly, think that mobile Safari couldn't compete that well in an open market, just like desktop Firefox can't.

Couldn't compete isn't a justification to exploit platform control and ban competition. If Apple's so worried that Safari usage will fall off in favor of Chrome, then they can invest in Safari to make it a level playing field to keep their user base.

[1] https://infrequently.org/2023/02/the-market-for-lemons/

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mort962mo ago

From the perspective of avoiding a web that's wholly controlled by Google? Yeah, absolutely.

leptons2mo ago

But somehow Apple gets a pass, and you think they're somehow saving the web? Just stop.

Apple is stifling progress in favor of profit.

mort962mo ago

You're shadow boxing. I never said Apple isn't engaging in abusive business tactics. They clearly are. I just think the result benefits the open web by taking power away from Google.

leptons2mo ago

And I pointed out that they don't help the open web, they stifle innovation of the web by abusing their power for profit.

Which I think is far worse than anything you think Google is trying to do.

1 more reply

hasanhaja2mo ago

Here's a good podcast episode with people from the Open Web Advocacy: https://changelog.com/jsparty/316

> I do, frankly, think that mobile Safari couldn't compete that well in an open market, just like desktop Firefox can't.

[1] https://infrequently.org/2023/02/the-market-for-lemons/

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