All right, when we're looking at Apple now, is it professor allow alternative app stores and its iPhones and iPads. It's all designed to comply with the strict European Union requirements coming in four. Nick Turner is a Bloomberg Senior Tech editor, joining is now Nick, thank you so much for joining. Does this really at the moment presented? Is it a big deal? How big a deal is it? What does it do to the future of Apple's closed ecosystem?
I mean, I think it's it sort of depends on how you measure it, but it is a big deal. I think just because it's sort of a reversal is something that they've a policy that they've held dear for so many years, which is not to allow people to download apps through means other than the app store. And they've said, you know, obviously that's been a lucrative business for them because I get commissions on the apps and
app purchases. But also, um, you know, obviously it's it's been a way for them protect what people download on their iPads and iPhones and make sure it's say um, And they've said before that this would make it harder to do that. So it is a significant reversal. Is is Apple planning for the entire world. I understand that these are changes that are are going to be applied because of the law coming in in Europe, but other regions may choose to do so. And what's the prospect
of that happening in the US. Well, so, you know, to be clear, they haven't announced any anything yet, but from what we understand from inside the company, the idea is to start in Europe, where the laws obviously apply, um, and then if similar legislation is enacted elsewhere, then this would be kind of a blueprint for how to do things in other regions. UM. The US and other places haven't gone as far as Europe so far, they could.
There's always the chance, I guess that Apple sort of doesn't want to patch work of different policies and just kind of make some global on its own, But it doesn't sound like we're at that point where we know
that would be the case. Nick, this is not something which is popular within Apple, and I'm quite certain of that, and their defense has always been that this represents something called side loading, which means in essence, that other people will be able to introduce apps to the Apple app store, which they claim could present a privacy or another type of how should I say, a privacy an unsafe app into the home market place, which could be detrimental for
the whole of what Apple does. Yes, so there's there is kind of a contingently plan on that front. I mean, Apple's contemplating essentially verifying apps that would be sideloaded. Uh, so it would still be somewhat of a gate keeping mechanism there to make sure nothing gets on there that might be insecure or compromise privacy. And it's possible that that verify cation would also have a fee, so it would kind of protect some of Apple's revenue um that
it would lose when when people start sideloading. Yeah, very interesting story. Um, kudos to Bloomberg for moving that story. Nick, Thank you very much for joining us and shedding some light on how this will roll out. Nick Turner is Bloomberg Senior Tech editor. This is Bloomberg