The combination of Apple software and hardware have always been something of a closed shop. This is by design. The company argues it has created a walled garden so that it can offer only the best, safest products to customers and allow them to pay in the most straightforward, secure way. Meanwhile, its critics claim that it has created a silo so that it can trap customers in its ecosystem and keep taking a 30% cut of all apps and services purchased through the App Store and through Apple Pay.
Both arguments are true to a certain extent. But, irrespective of who is right, things are changing. When iOS 17.4 is released in March, Apple is going to allow so-called sideloading in the EU because of the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). This means that app makers will be able to distribute their products via alternative app stores or directly from the web. They will also be able
