Apple's CEO Tim Cook sat down with Brut for a 30-minute interview talking about the company's strategies and policies. Apple has recently gone under a lot of scrutiny, but the CEO is standing firm on his and the company's stance on privacy and security.
US Congress vs. Apple Preinstalled Apps
The US Congress is looking at bipartisan bills to change the way Apple preloads apps on the iPhones and iPads, Slash Gear reports. The bills will not only allow users to remove preloaded first-party apps altogether but could also ban Apple from preinstalling them in the first place.
In the mobile world, preloaded apps can be seen as a nuisance. Android users call these apps "bloatware" because they take up storage space and often don't value users.
Apple's preloaded apps aren't bad enough to be called "bloatware," but it's taken on a different narrative instead. Apple is being accused of monopolizing its app market because it puts its apps on the devices by default.
Five antitrust bills are now trying to raise the argument that Apple shouldn't have the advantage of preinstalling its own apps in the iPhones and other devices. This is because new iPhone owners are less likely to try out alternatives to Apple's apps if they even know alternatives exist.
One part of the set of bills is looking to ban Apple from preinstalling apps that have competing alternatives on the App Store, Slash Gear says. Another part would stop Apple from halting users from completely uninstalling any preloaded apps on their device. However, Apple has already allowed users the option to delete preloaded apps since iOS 12.
The European Union's proposed Digital Markets Act or DMA is also looking into forcing the company to allow installing or sideloading apps outside the App Store, similar to Android devices.
The DMA focuses on companies with large customer bases like Apple, Google, and Amazon, to force them to open up their platforms to competitors, Gadgets 360 explains. The aim is to build a fairer business environment for enterprises and individuals.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said during a live chat that Android has more malware than iOS and “sideloading” mobile apps were not in the “best interests of users.”#Apple #Android #timcook #Malware #malwaredevil #Developer pic.twitter.com/8ZL3dT5rG6
— Sandeep Paikra (@impaikra) June 17, 2021
CEO Tim Cook on Apple Sideloading Destroying Security
Tim Cook sat down in a remote interview with Brut to talk about everything Apple.
He talked about the company's path towards having its own silicon in Macs, saying they didn't know what would happen next but kept discovering and pulling the string and keeping their minds open.
He talked about augmented reality, the intersection of health and technology, and how Apple devices will look like in the future.
Aside from the talks of the future, Brut also asked about Apple's present. Most importantly, the regulatory scrutiny the company is currently under.
Cook stressed that Apple has been focused on privacy for a long time, as privacy is a basic and fundamental human right, says Ars Technica. And as for the regulations, he says "As I look at the tech regulation that's being discussed, I think there are good parts of it, and then I think there are parts of it that are not in the best interests of the user."
He cites the current language of the DMA and how forcing Apple to allow sideloading on the iPhone would destroy the security of the smartphone and all of the many privacy initiatives of the App store.
Cook claims that Android has 47 times more malware than Apple. He credits it to the iOS being designed in such a way that there's only one app store and all of the apps are reviewed prior to being available on the platform, Gadgets 360 says. This keeps malware and other nasty stuff out of the ecosystem.
If sideloading were allowed in iPhones, all the systems built to protect the users would not exist anymore, Cook says. Customers have told Apple continuously how much they value the protection and privacy afforded to them because of this, he adds.
When asked about an Apple Car, Cook was less open, answering, "I've gotta keep secrets, and there always has to be something up our sleeve."
