A whiff of grapeshot from Washington seems to have got Tim Cook’s attention.
From Mark Gurman’s “Apple Weighs Letting Users Switch Default iPhone Apps to Rivals” posted Thursday on Bloomberg News:
The technology giant is discussing whether to let users choose third-party web browser and mail applications as their default options on Apple’s mobile devices, replacing the company’s Safari browser and Mail app, according to people familiar with the matter.
Apple’s closed system to prohibit users from setting third-party apps as defaults was questioned last year during a hearing of a U.S. House of Representatives antitrust panel. Lawmakers pressed the issue of whether iPhone users can make non-Apple apps their defaults in categories including web browsers, maps, email and music.
The company currently pre-installs 38 default apps on iPhones and iPads, Bloomberg News has reported, including the Safari web browser, Maps, Messages and Mail.
My take: When the king commands such loyalty from his subjects, he can afford to loosen the rules a bit.
I see a lot of Mac users who default to the Chrome browser and other Google Cloud services, and also to DuckDuckGo, ironically.
I know there are those that for one reason or another prefer a competing app. My guess though is that those feeling that way amount to no more than 5% of Apple users. Importantly, how many of those “switchers” will return?
The same issue exists on my iPad, but Firefox is terrible (my experience) on iOS.
I won’t use anything developed by Google for personal reasons. For search I use Duck Duck Go very happily.
Folk think Apple is some kind of a “controlled freak.” All Apple wants to do is make high quality premium products mirroring Apple’s care about its users and in so doing, Apple always has assumed responsibility for the entire user experience rather than deal with the crap of some third party applicants.
Tim C most likely will move cautiously in opening up Apple’s system because of his level of empathy in what is right. I prefer that he keep it as closed tightly as possible, for as long as possible.
All is fair in the state of Denmark! (literary license)
I would never want any mail client that would allow any form of ads into my mail experience. I would also want Apple to be running stats on just how often my browsing or mail or info is being shared with any 3rd party and have those stats shown to me weekly or monthly. Then I can decide if Apple Apps work better for me than others. So far, they have just fine.
A comforting, fulfilling, safe and serene place that I somehow always yearn to return to.
(Jus’ sayin’.)