Got crapware? Not if you own an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Apple installs a growing variety of its own apps on each device, of course, but there isn’t a plethora of apps trying to sell you something or instantly steal private information from you.
That may change thanks to the authoritarian regime that controls Russia.
What’s going on?
William Galagher explains what Russia just did. It could catch on elsewhere and that would create a nightmare for Apple and other computer manufacturers.
Russia’s lower house of parliament has passed legislation that will make it mandatory for devices such as Apple’s iPhone that feature apps to include pre-loaded Russian-made ones.
Which apps? After all, there is a Russia App Store, so Russians can download apps specific to their requirements and tastes.
Also, Apple’s OS for iPhone, iPad, and Mac comes with many, many languages built-in, so every Russian customer gets apps that work well and without a language issue.
It does not dictate that other apps, such as the manufacturer’s own, cannot be installed.
So, it’s OK for Apple apps to be installed. That’s good news. But comparable Russian apps must be installed, too?
Who authored such legislation? Oleg Nikolayev:
Naturally, when a person sees them… they might think that there are no domestic alternatives available. And if, alongside pre-installed applications, we will also offer the Russian ones to users, then they will have a right to choose.
This will cause a huge mess.
Let’s say there are five Russian email apps and five Russian calendar apps to match Mail and Calendar on iPhone. Would Apple be required to load all of those?
After all, customers can download any apps they choose from their local App Store.
Unless this ends, it will not end well because other countries– we’re fast becoming a world of little villages, each with nationalistic tendencies– will want the same treatment.
What if California or New York passed laws stating that each device have apps from developers in their states, too?
Crazy. This will not end well.