Sideloading on the iPhone: So what?
Sideloading on the iPhone: So what?
Apple will reportedly allow installing apps from outside the App Store in the next two years.
We’re getting close to the point in the year where the likelihood of anything interesting happening would normally be pretty much zero. Of course, 2022 is not normal, which means there is little that could surprise me. For example, in the past week-ish, Apple is reportedly working on plans to open up the iPhone to third-party app stores by 2024.
Not only that, but Elon Musk says he is going to step down as CEO of Twitter (if he really does abide by the results of a poll he conducted on the matter), and FTX’s CEO is back walking around freely in the U.S. after agreeing to be extradited from the Bahamas. Oh, and his friends are cooperating with the government. First, let’s do the Apple one:
Apple is changing the App Store, sort of
In the category of surprising-but-inevitable, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is currently working on plans to open up iOS 17 to allow the direct installation of third-party apps and even other app stores. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that would be the largest change since 2008, when Apple opened the iPhone to third-party apps in the first place.
If it were up to Apple, there is zero chance the company would be spending time and energy on this. But, it’s not only up to Apple. In this case, it’s the EU—and, more specifically, the Digital Markets Act—that is making Apple open up the ways developers can distribute their apps to your iPhone.
In fact, I’ve been in the room twice now when Apple sent high level executives to argue against the perils of installing apps from outside the iOS App Store, known as sideloading. The first was Craig Federighi, who spoke at WebSummit in November 2021. The second was Tim Cook, arguing that sideloading was an existential threat to the privacy and security of users. Here’s what Cook said at the time:
Here in Washington and elsewhere, policymakers are taking steps in the name of competition that would force Apple to let apps on the iPhone that circumvent the App Store through a process called sideloading. That means data-hungry companies will be able to avoid our privacy rules and once again track our users against their will. It would also potentially give bad actors a way around the comprehensive security protections we've put in place putting them in direct contact with our users.
The thing is, I’m just not sure it will matter. Sure, regulators are hard at work cracking down on big tech companies for being big tech companies, but sideloading is not a thing the average iPhone user is ever going to try. Yes, you’ll be able to download apps from the scary internet if you want, but you probably won’t. The iOS App Store won’t just be safer, it’ll be more convenient—which is the only thing that really matters to most people.
That, of course, is the best argument for Apple having done this a long time ago. The scariest argument I’ve heard the company make is that if apps aren’t required to go through app review, they’ll be able to do really bad things like steal all of your data. Except, if you’re Meta, and you want people to keep using Facebook, you’re going to put it in the app store or no one will download it.
Why? Because Facebook has almost 3 billion monthly users, and there is no amount of money I wouldn’t be willing to bet that the number of people willing to jump through the hoops to download Facebook from anywhere else is significantly lower than that.
If you’re excited about third-party app stores and sideloading, that’s great. At some point in the future, you might be able to find some apps available to install on your iPhone.
Elon can’t find a new CEO
If you spend $44 billion on a new toy, presumably you have some ideas of what you’d like to do with it. Elon Musk, who spent that much to buy Twitter, seems to prefer crowdsourcing ideas, running polls to see what people think he should do.
For example, when he banned a group of journalists for what he said was “real-time posting” of his location data, or what Musk refers to as “assassination coordinates,” he ran a poll to decide whether he should reinstate them. Then, at the suggestion that he should step down from his role as CEO of Twitter, Musk again put it to a vote.
Afterwards, Musk said there’s no one qualified to run it, but that when he finds someone, he’s out. Of course, he plans to keep running engineering and servers, which is strange because a general rule of being CEO is that it’s probably not ideal if the company owner (who is your boss) is running the most important part of the product.
If Musk is running “engineering and servers,” he’s still basically making all of the important decisions about the product, which means that the new CEO is never going to be able to actually fix Twitter. Still, Musk seems to be on the hunt for someone who can take over, including YouTuber MrBeast, apparently.
To be honest, it’d probably be a lot easier to find a new CEO for Tesla, which is something investors would probably prefer at this point anyway. The electric vehicle (EV) maker’s stock has fallen 70 percent this year on the fear that Musk is distracted and is leveraging his shares of Tesla to finance his new toy.
SBF is back
He’s back in the U.S. anyway, after flying on a non-commercial flight with a handful of FBI agents sent to escort him from the Bahamas. As a result, he’s been granted release with a $250 million personal recognizance (PR) bond as long as he hangs out at his parents house and promises not to flee the country.
I mean, it’s a good deal for SBF. Sure, living with your parents again is a bummer for someone who was worth more than $10 billion just six weeks ago. On the other hand, living with your parents in Palo Alto is a lot better than sitting in jail in the Bahamas.
It is a little interesting that a judge granted him a PR bond, since it basically means SBF promises he’ll show up for every court appearance or he’ll be on the hook for the bond. I’m generally not in favor of putting people in jail who haven’t yet been convicted, but is there anyone who thinks SBF is good for his word?
Also Interesting:
SBF's friends are cooperating with the feds. (The Washington Post)
Disney’s CEO is trying to win back the trust of its fans. (Inc.com)
TikTok’s parent company is spying on journalists. (The New York Times)
Elon Musk thinks that knowing how many people view your tweet will make you feel better about Twitter. (ArsTechnica)
YouTube won the battle for NFL Sunday Ticket (The Wall Street Journal)
No one is buying the iPhone SE, so Apple plans to cancel its next version. (MacRumors)