Apple has released the beta version of iOS 17.5 which definitively adapts the management of apps to the European Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to regulate the activities of tech giants, avoiding, among other things, the creation of monopolies or oligopolies. A few days after the official release of iOS 17.4 which already opened the doors to the possibility of downloading apps from stores other than the official Apple one, the Cupertino giant makes a notable step forward.
Apple opens up a little more and does so out of obligation but, albeit indirectly, the words of the founding member re-emerge Steve Wozniak who, for over a decade, has maintained that Steve Jobs was wrong to want operating systems that were too closed.
Why iOS 17.5 is revolutionary
With iOS 17.4 Apple began to open up, leaving it to the users greater possibilities in choosing the default browser, payment circuits and choosing the sources from which to download applications.
With iOS 17.5 it will be possible pick up applications directly from the sites of those who develop them, without triangulation with one or the other store. It may seem like a subtlety but, in reality, it is an epochal opening for a company – Apple – which historically centralizes any type of activity that can be carried out with the devices and operating systems it produces and develops.
The new version of the operating system for iPhones is currently being tested and the final release, although imminent, does not yet have a certain date. This opening is also a prelude to that which will be iOS 18the new operating system for iPhone which will be presented in June and then distributed starting from September, oriented towards the integration of artificial intelligence, inclusiveness and a greater possibility of customizing devices.
The change underway is enormous, and not just from the point of view of application distribution.
App Store turnover
According to data made available by Apple, the app economy generated a turnover of in 2022 1,100 billion of dollars (1,020 billion euros), distributing 90% of the revenues to those who develop apps and helping to create – globally – 7.2 million jobs (2.4 million in Europe alone).
Now, even if only limited to Europe, Apple is forced to do without billions in revenue. The apps that will be taken directly from the sites of those who develop them do not provide for payments directed into the coffers of the Cupertino company which will probably limit itself to requesting the Core Technology Fee, i.e. the payment of 50 cents euros per year for apps installed at least one million times.
Along with the release of the iOS 17.5 beta, Apple also provided beta versions of iPadOS 17.5, watchOS 10.5, tvOS 17.5, and macOS Sonoma 14.5 to developers. The whole Apple world is changing and the company founded by Steve Jobs is called upon to raise cash.
Increasing the prices of devices is possible, but considering the steps forward made by the competition it may not be a smart move (think of the Samsung Galaxy S24 which is a formidable opponent for Apple).
More likely Apple will create new paid services for those who use Apple devices, focusing on Healthstreaming services and gaming.