Apple’s ongoing battle with regulators over allowing third parties greater access to the internal workings of iOS has extended to Japan. New regulations in Japan will require that Apple allows non-WebKit browsers to be allowed through the App Store later this year.
While regulations in other countries may not impact Australia, our regulator will be looking closely at what is happening overseas. If Apple is compelled to offer more open access to its platforms, it will be interesting to see how consumers react.
The European Union has already mandated this step in the territories it regulates as well as allowing alternative app stores to operate. Apple has complied with those rules somewhat begrudgingly with regulators in the EU saying Apple’s compliance was done in a way that continued to make life hard for third parties through the application of fees and other mechanisms.
As the push for Apple to open the gates on its walled garden continues, the Australian Government is looking at how Apple might be regulated.
The complexity, as I see it, is that there is competition when it comes to mobile apps and platforms. Broadly speaking, there are two camps with Android offering a very open platform that allow developers to distribute software through different app stores as well as directly to devices via relatively easy side-loading. Apple’s approach is very different. The App Store is a tightly controlled distribution service where Apple limits how applications access and share data, and enforces the use of specific platforms such as WebKit, HomeKit and others.
Will consumers stick to what’s most convenient and easier? My instinct tells me that almost 20 years of iPhone use in Australia will have created some quite strong habits that will be hard to break. There will, of course, be users who will dive in and relish the opportunity to experiment and use apps and platforms that were previously blocked.
But is it worth creating an entire regulatory regime that will probably only matter to a relatively small cohort of users? And will it really benefit users? Or is all competition good?
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.