iPhone maker's grip on Apple App Store challenged; will it turn into another Google Play Store?
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved legislation that, if passed into law, would force Apple Inc. to let users install apps from outside of the App Store. The bipartisan 21-1 vote is a strong endorsement for the bill from Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal, Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar, Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn and eight other cosponsors, but it still faces a long road to get a vote in the full Senate.
Apple has lobbied hard against this bill, arguing that it would make the iPhone ecosystem more similar to Android, limiting consumer choice for what it calls a more secure and closed environment.
The bill seeks to loosen the duopoly that Apple and Alphabet Inc.’s Google have over mobile app distribution, part of Congress’s push to curb the power of U.S. technology giants.
“Google and Apple own the rails of the app economy, much as the railroad companies did at the start of the last century, said Blumenthal, who estimated the value of the app store market at about $100 billion a year.
The measure, S. 2710, would require Apple to let users install apps on their phones and other devices from sources on the web or alternative app stores, a process that’s called sideloading.
This provision would most impact Apple. While Google offers its Google Play Store on mobile devices, it doesn’t bar users from downloading Android apps elsewhere. Sideloading, which Apple has said poses security risks for consumers, would allow apps to avoid Apple’s commissions, which range from 15% to 30%.
The bill also would force app marketplaces to allow third-party app developers to communicate with customers outside the platforms about cheaper ways to subscribe and alternative ways to pay for services. Last year,
Read more on tech.hindustantimes.com
