Apple is Trolling the EU

Summary

The transcript covers Apple's compliance with EU digital regulations, allowing third-party app stores and payment systems in Europe. However, Apple imposes restrictions like review processes and fees that take a large commission, making the deal seem self-serving. The transcript also touches on topics like Microsoft Teams outages, a Florida bill banning social media for kids, and innovative AI-generated video and VR demos from Google and Meta.

Takeaways

• 😮‍💨 Apple announced iOS support for third-party app stores and payment systems, but with many catches.
• 😠 Apple's new terms include an annual $50 fee once an app hits 1M installs.
• 😁 Game streaming services can now submit one iOS app for their whole catalog.
• 😡 Epic Games calls the rules 'horror show' and 'hot garbage'.
• 😱 Beeper users found Apple blocking iMessage on their Macs too.
• 😫 Microsoft Teams had a major outage affecting thousands.
• 😈 Florida may ban under 16s from addictive social media.
• 🌠 Google's new AI video generation tool Lumiere looks very impressive.
• 👻 Meta's Reality Labs made a VR system that can manipulate real objects.
• 😳 The metaverse nude minion attack sounds concerning.

Q & A

What new features is Apple announcing for iOS in the EU?

Apple is announcing that iOS will support third-party app stores called 'marketplaces', third party payment systems, and browser engines other than WebKit in the EU.

Will iOS allow sideloading of apps like Android does?

No, iOS will not allow sideloading of standalone app packages outside of any app store, unlike Android, Windows, Linux, and Mac OS.

What are the new business terms Apple is requiring for alternative app distribution?

Developers must pay Apple a 10% cut or 17% for digital goods, plus an extra 3% for using Apple's payment system. Once an app hits 1 million installs, devs must also pay a $50 "core technology fee" for each new user annually.

Why is Apple framing these new rules negatively?

Apple claims the new features are dangerous and the App Store's restrictions have blocked billions in fraudulent transactions, so they are only making these concessions in the EU due to legal requirements.

What new game streaming options will iOS allow?

Game streaming platforms like Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming can now submit a single iOS app to stream their entire catalog of games, instead of separate apps for each game.

Will Epic Games bring Fortnite back to iOS?

Epic says it plans to launch the Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS depending on whether Apple approves their upcoming third-party app marketplace.

Why were some iMessage users banned from Apple services?

Users of Beeper's iMessage cloud sync service were banned for 'spam' since Beeper was routing iMessages to Android, but Apple unbanned them after media coverage.

What Microsoft service had a major outage this week?

Microsoft Teams had a major outage on February 1st, 2023, with around 15,000 reported issues preventing access.

What new AI video generation tool did Google unveil?

Google showcased 'Lumiere', an AI model that can generate surprisingly realistic text-to-video and video-to-video translations with smooth output.

How can VR users interact with real objects using Meta's new technology?

Meta Reality Labs created a way for VR users to seem to manipulate real objects by generating a virtual double and hiding the original object.