Apple Is the Security Champion
Sensing that the timing may be right, Microsoft has started complaining about Apple’s AppStore policies. At issue is the fact that Apple won’t approve their gaming app xCloud, or Google’s Stadia for that matter, in the iOS AppStore. But the reasoning is simple, Apple wants to vet all the apps that are offered in the AppStore. It’s a consumer friendly reason. The gaming apps at issue are like little AppStores which allow unvetted apps access to the platform.
And yet, almost all of the headlines I’ve seen seem to portray Apple as the villain in this story. It’s the same cycle as what happened about 3 years ago when all of the tech press was ganging up on Apple for clinging stubbornly to their privacy principles. Everyone predicted that the iPhone was going to be left behind and that Google and Amazon were going to run circles around Apple in the realm of machine learning.
Supposedly, more access to data was going to propel the Google Pixel to be an iPhone killer. All that access to user data was going to contribute to a huge future advantage. Well, it hasn’t turned out that way has it? All of a sudden privacy is a thing and Apple was the lone privacy proponent that found itself with a golden value proposition. Apple was pro-privacy before privacy was popular.
This current hubbub has a lot echoes of the privacy dust up. Now the tech press is saying that vetting all of your apps is an old-fashioned notion. Apple is going to be left behind and left for dead by Google and Microsoft. They say that people just want freedom of choice and don’t want a nanny. Which is what everyone always says until people start getting hurt. Then the mantra switches to “Why isn’t anyone trying to protect the consumer?”.
Malicious parties are already salivating at a way to bypass any App Store review process. Even Google’s lax review processes can keep some of the worst offenders away. But being able to sneak into the Google Play Store or the iOS AppStore via xCloud would be like the US Border Patrol deciding that El Paso would be on the honor system going forward. Not going to work.
Ties to the Chinese government have already been found in DJI Drone software and the TikTok video app. You don’t think that they’d love to make some Trojan Horse video games?
Once again Apple is going to take some arrows for sticking to their principles. This time it’s the principle of security. Apple believes that a company should make a good faith effort at not offering malware to their customers. Amazingly, I didn’t think that one would be controversial. If anything, the rest of the industry has been moving more in Apple’s direction on this part as they struggle with malware.
If and when the public shows a resurgent interest in digital security, Apple will be the only one that has a policy that they vet all apps in their AppStore. Is Apple perfect in this respect? No, but by far, they are making the best effort.
Supposedly, more access to data was going to propel the Google Pixel to be an iPhone killer. All that access to user data was going to contribute to a huge future advantage. Well, it hasn’t turned out that way has it? All of a sudden privacy is a thing and Apple was the lone privacy proponent that found itself with a golden value proposition. Apple was pro-privacy before privacy was popular.
This current hubbub has a lot echoes of the privacy dust up. Now the tech press is saying that vetting all of your apps is an old-fashioned notion. Apple is going to be left behind and left for dead by Google and Microsoft. They say that people just want freedom of choice and don’t want a nanny. Which is what everyone always says until people start getting hurt. Then the mantra switches to “Why isn’t anyone trying to protect the consumer?”.
Malicious parties are already salivating at a way to bypass any App Store review process. Even Google’s lax review processes can keep some of the worst offenders away. But being able to sneak into the Google Play Store or the iOS AppStore via xCloud would be like the US Border Patrol deciding that El Paso would be on the honor system going forward. Not going to work.
Ties to the Chinese government have already been found in DJI Drone software and the TikTok video app. You don’t think that they’d love to make some Trojan Horse video games?
Once again Apple is going to take some arrows for sticking to their principles. This time it’s the principle of security. Apple believes that a company should make a good faith effort at not offering malware to their customers. Amazingly, I didn’t think that one would be controversial. If anything, the rest of the industry has been moving more in Apple’s direction on this part as they struggle with malware.
If and when the public shows a resurgent interest in digital security, Apple will be the only one that has a policy that they vet all apps in their AppStore. Is Apple perfect in this respect? No, but by far, they are making the best effort.
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