If Apple is dumb enough to start leaving markets in which it can't follow the law, it's not gonna have many markets left.
Apple’s one trade (or otherwise) war away from losing access to China. It would be colossally stupid to voluntarily leave a western market for the sake of one man's ego.
Apple's OS build process is overseen by Ireland. It has consumer apps teams in France. The iTunes infrastructure itself is run out of Cork, last I checked
@viticci@stroughtonsmith According to Apple’s website, 72 stores in the EU itself (unless I miscounted).Then four in Switzerland and 40 in the UK.
Again, I’m getting a bit tired of people making excuses for Apple complying with China as the cost of doing business but raging against EU regulation. (Sure: attack some of the specifics. But those are being used as justification for attacking everything.)
@craiggrannell It kinda works both ways. People who felt Apple should exit China now expect Apple to also stay in the EU and submit themselves to whatever demands the EU asks of, no matter how onerous. Isn’t that double standards as well?
@craiggrannell@viticci@stroughtonsmith in don’t think Apple is going to leave the EU, but China is a much bigger market AND it is where they make them all with no viable alternative so it is MORE likely than leaving China but I’m positive they’ll work it all out and it will be fine because everyone has all the incentive in the world to work it out.
@craiggrannell@viticci@stroughtonsmith It’s not just economics. Think of the reputational hit Apple would take if they removed its products from one of the largest economic blocs in the world. Investors would be spooked, and the company would look spiteful. Decisions made around Apple in the EU make sense within the framework of the EU’s approach to fair competition. Most American commentators don’t understand why the EU regulates the way they do.
@mcelhearn@viticci@stroughtonsmith Indeed. It’s such an odd position for any commentator to take. And JG isn’t the only one making it. I’ve seen it across Threads and elsewhere.
Also, it’s not like Apple doesn’t have a hell of a battle on its hands in the US now too with regulation. What’s sad is that much of this could have been avoided with relatively minor changes a few years ago. But, well, live and learn.
@craiggrannell@viticci@stroughtonsmith And in Europe, Apple has shown what they can do, with alternate App Store, browsers, and NFC access. So they can no longer complain is difficult. So other countries will jump on the bandwagon.
@mcelhearn@viticci@stroughtonsmith But those things only work in Europe because, um, “reasons”. Try to move these things to the US and your iPhone will spin round so fast it’ll create a gravitational anomaly that will doom the entire planet.
@stroughtonsmith Certain commentators seem personally offended that foreigners in the EU are making demands of Apple, while hand-waving away requirements from China as the cost of doing business. The mental gymnastics required are quite something.
Glad to have eg Six Colors saying sensible and measured things from a US standpoint.
@rowan_johnson Dan also, who has done some sterling work on this. However, I’m not sure it’s just down to their history in ‘proper’ journalism. It’s more an approach combined with a state of mind. I always got the impression Jason Snell was a measured and thoughtful writer, and so he’s approaching this in the same way. Others seem very quick to go right to personal opinion, and that’s when things go squiffy in this topic area.
@stroughtonsmith I’m genuinely puzzled that Gruber is interpreting the fact that most people aren’t paying Meta to opt out of targeted ads as an endorsement of the “deal” on people’s part, even though the more straightforward explanation is that most people just don’t want to (or can’t) spend money on this.
I’m pretty sure that if they could opt out of targeted ads for free, the vast majority of people would do it.
@nileane@stroughtonsmith I agree that they would, but I don’t think it would be fair. I understand that everyone can’t pay, but the services do cost real money to run and it doesn’t seem reasonable to expect Facebook to provide it on terms they don’t want to.
@andyn@nileane@stroughtonsmith Agreed. But that “paying” involves seeing targeted ads. If you don’t want the tracking, either pay or don’t use the service. Doesn’t feel unreasonable to me 🤷
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