A Moment of Clarity Regarding the Raison d’Etre for the App Store
Published:
I agree with some of his sentiments:
Feel free to file Google’s release this week of an update to their iPad Gmail app with support for split-screen multitasking under “better late than never”, but this is so late it borders on the absurd. It’s like the difference between showing up fashionably late and showing up a week after the party.
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And an email client is near the top of the list of the type of apps where someone would want to use split-screen. Five years.
However, look at this:
I’d like to see all the vim, vigor, and vigilance Apple applies to making sure no app on the App Store is making a dime without Apple getting three cents applied instead to making sure there aren’t any scams or ripoffs, and that popular apps support good-citizen-of-the-platform features within a reasonable amount of time after those features are introduced in the OS.
I’m all for Apple throwing out scams, ripoffs, and maybe even yet another shitty micro-transaction-riddled “game” targeted at kids.
But throwing them out for not using features? This sounds like hell It sounds exactly like the draconian ruleset the App Store is (sometimes rightfully!) called out to be. We don’t need to throw out apps just because they don’t implement a convenience feature. It’s not even about privacy or security, just convenience for the user.
Do I wish that more apps would adopt some feature more quickly? Yes! Do I shake my head at people using the Gmail app for their Gmail account, because they don’t think about alternatives or just configure their account with whatever app they want. Absolutely! But kicking an app out, because it’s not as convenient as others? Ugh. No. No, no, no!
Video app that doesn’t support picture-in-picture? You’re out of the store. App doesn’t support dynamic type size but clearly should? You’re out. Poor accessibility support? Out. Popular email client that doesn’t support split screen? Out.
Runs away screaming
I think Apple should do more to incentivise good iOS (and iPadOS and macOS) citizens, and nice behaviour, but forcing them‽