In a significant development in the technology industry, Apple’s vice president in charge of the App Store is leaving the company as the company reorganizes in response to changes in regulations around the world.
Apple’s App Store is a central part of the company’s business model, and leadership changes, particularly in response to global regulations, often signal significant shifts in strategy.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
Matt Fischer, who has led the App Store business since 2010, is leaving the iPhone maker in October, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing the unannounced changes. The App Store group will be split into two teams: one that oversees Apple’s own store and another that is responsible for distributing alternative apps.
With these changes, Phil Schiller, the Apple executive ultimately responsible for the App Store, is responding to demands from regulators that force Apple to allow alternative stores and payment methods for apps on the iPhone, iPad and other company devices.
MacDailyNews Opinion: Ultimately, Apple and Apple iPhone users will benefit from the existence and global availability of third-party app stores.
Apple needs to stop wasting money fighting the inevitable and embrace change.
Those who value security and privacy will stick with Apple’s App Store, but a single point of control always poses risks, especially when it leads to arbitrary censorship (see Twitter before Musk, Apple’s App Store in China, etc.).
iPhone and iPad users, like Mac users, must have the ability to install third-party apps; even if they never do, because it will keep Apple honest. The ability to ban an app loses all power if it is simply available in a different app store. – MacDailyNews, December 13, 2022
Please support MacDailyNews – and enjoy subscriber-only articles, commentary, chat, and more – by subscribing to our Substack.: macdailynews.substack.com. Thanks!
Support MacDailyNews at no additional cost by using this link to shop on Amazon..
(Thanks to MacDailyNews reader “Fred Mertz” for the tip.)
