Apple Argued Safari Is Three Different Browsers to Avoid Regulation::Apple recently claimed that Safari is three different browsers in effort to avoid regulation in the European Union (via The Register). The claim…
“The European Commission went on to point out that Safari’s functionality and underlying technologies are near-identical across platforms. The Commission even highlights Apple’s own marketing materials for its Continuity feature, which appear to contradict the company’s claims, touting the tag line “Same Safari. Different device.” As a result, the Commission rejected Apple’s claim and insists that “Safari qualifies as a single web browser, irrespective of the device through which that service is accessed.””
Chef’s Kiss
Governments and stately instances so rarely have a proper grasp of technology. This is beautiful.
On example cited by Apple is Safari’s sidebar feature on iPadOS and macOS, allowing users to see opened tabs, tab groups, bookmarks, and browsing history. Since this feature is unavailable in the version of Safari for iOS, Apple claimed that it is a distinctly different browser.
😂
So they’re also claiming iOS on an iPhone and iOS on an iPad are separate products? In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess.
They did rename it to iPad OS, so yes
Wow, then even chrome can claim that they don’t support Extension ok Mobile thus it’s different product. Big Brain Time from apple.
- Safari
- Safari Pro
- Safari Pro Max
Apple claimed repairing your Mac with 3rd party parts turns it into a PC so you can’t resell it as a Mac.
Ah, there’s where all the creativity went to.
Apple needs to allow non-webkit browsers on iOS.
So iOS can be full of Chromium based browsers.
let’s be honest, most people will still use safari. Just let people use Firefox, damn it
Removed by mod
yep, everything on iOS uses WebKit
Removed by mod
I’m not sure if there are any major difference, but one consequence is that addons (mainly uBlock origin) don’t work on WebKit Firefox
“Are you getting it? These are three separate browsers.” - Anonymous
So much for “we care about your privacy”
We all know that was BS but the isheep sadly believe it.
What does this have to do with privacy
They are trying to avoid regulation. That’s super dodgy. They are trying to hide something. Since it’s related to a browser, data collection must be what they want to regulate, and what Apple is trying to hide…
You’re overthinking it.
Having 25% of the mobile browser market, and being more than half of the US mobile browser market means:
- Apple can force companies like Google to pay tens of billions a year to be the default search engine.
- Apple can force companies to ensure that their products are built and QA’ed with Apple’s platforms in mind. This was something Apple struggled with before the iPhone. Many Mac users will remember the days when certain websites and platforms simply didn’t work unless you were using IE for Windows.
It’s a play for partnership cash and, because Apple has always been a control freak, insurance that experiences on their platforms are right.
Edit: One more massive thing, but I can’t believe I forgot. Apples hold over the browser market means they can strong arm the industry into adopting Web standards that Apple wants.
I’m a big fan of Apple’s products, but this is some serious bullshit. Fuck off.
Of course they did. Microsoft tried this in the 90’s with Internet Explorer, Outlook, and Explorer. Sure, it does three different things, but it’s the SAME THING.
Those are actually different things and always have been. I don’t know what point you think you’re making.
