Musk says spat with Apple over App Store ejection threat for Twitter was 'misunderstanding'
- Reference: 1669905125
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/12/01/musk_app_store_dispute_over/
- Source link:
Musk [1]claimed earlier this week that Apple was going to "withhold" the social media platform's app from its digital store for an unspecified reason. He then launched a series of attacks on the company, using his near 120 million followers to turn up the heat.
Amid the noise, he retweeted a parody of Apple's 1984 video by Fortnite maker Epic Games, and created a poll to ask his fans if Apple should "publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers."
[2]
Despite helping to whip some of his fans into a frenzy, Musk has now thanked Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a tonally very different tweet, for "taking me around Apple's beautiful HQ."
Good conversation. Among other things, we resolved the misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store. Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) [3]November 30, 2022
As pointed out by the [4]New York Times , Cook has used charm offensives before to smooth out situational crinkles, including joining a White House advisory panel after being criticized by former president Donald Trump.
[5]
[6]
Musk didn't specify why he thought Twitter was going to be ejected from Apple's online store, and neither did he confirm if the other things discussed included Apple's advertising budget with Twitter.
Days ago [7]Musk said Apple had "mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?"
[8]
Apple has maintained a dignified silence throughout, obviously preferring to invite Elon into the fold rather than exchanging blows on a public platform he owns and where he has plenty of obsequious followers.
[9]Twitter gives up fight against COVID-19 misinformation
[10]Musk: Twitter will have 1 billion monthly users inside 18 months
[11]Elon Musk to abused Twitter users: Your tormentors are coming back
[12]Twitter engineer calls out Elon Musk for technical BS in unusual career move
Outside of political circles and fans, Musk's antics with Apple this week received some support from the tech industry, specifically [13]Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg , who – [14]for obvious reasons – claimed Apple wields too much power over the mobile apps landscape.
"Apple has sort of singled themselves out as the only company that is trying to control, like unilaterally, what apps get on a device," the Meta boss told the New York Times' Dealbook Summit in New York. "I don't think that's a sustainable or good place to be."
We have asked Apple to comment. ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/30/twitter_covid_misinformation/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y4jdr50-YXvc41HmBqPCbgAAABI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1598090996281413638?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[4] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/technology/elon-musk-apple-misunderstanding.html
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y4jdr50-YXvc41HmBqPCbgAAABI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y4jdr50-YXvc41HmBqPCbgAAABI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1597285572699074560
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y4jdr50-YXvc41HmBqPCbgAAABI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/30/twitter_covid_misinformation/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/28/musk_twitter_slides/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/25/twitter_suspeded_account_amnesty/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/14/musk_twitter_rpc_spat/
[13] https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/mark-zuckerberg-says-apple-holds-too-much-control-over-app-ecosystem-11669845866
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/01/apple_privacy_settings/
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
RE: Apple has sort of singled themselves out as the only company that is trying to control, like unilaterally, what apps get on a device. I don't think that's a sustainable or good place to be.
Not sure about that. Depends how the platform owners handle it. While it *is* nice to be able to install what apps I want, when I last jailbroke my phone, I found there wasn't much on Cydia (IIRC) that I actually wanted to installed that didn't have an equivalent on the App Store. The system has proved relatively effective at keeping malware off the platform. It's not perfect, and some has got through.
The concern I have is Apple starts censoring the content for certain points of view. Elon pretty much implied they were doing that, although I'd argue the fact that when he said that, they had Truth Social (and likely Gab and Parler as well) available on the App Store, as well as the fact they talked to Elon implies they don't do this currently.
Apple is perfectly entitled to set the rules for what kind of content is acceptable on its app store. Musk is rather pathetic in the way he marshals his fanboys to join in attacking whoever he decides is thwarting his right-wing agenda.
Has anyone noticed the same people who call Musk "Elon" and claim to be free speech absolutists are also absolutely sure that bakeries should be able to refuse to put gay stuff on cakes for same sex weddings and footballers shouldn't take a knee or wear rainbow armbands.
There is absolutely nothing morally no legally that requires Apple to carry right wing hate speech, or Musk's childish ramblings. Similarly, there should be nothing stopping a bakery refusing to ice a cake if it doesn't want to.
Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so.
or, to put it another way:
"I had a paddy, lost all concept of rational thought and had a bout of verbal diarrhea"
Re: Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so.
That made me laugh much harder than it ought to - have an upvote
Re: Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so.
Or he thought he was getting in ahead of a potential ban.
Much easier to get the public mad about an imagined ban to give Apple pause for thought than it is to create a momentum about forcing Apple to change their mind afterwards
Transcript of conversation
[Tim Cook] We would never 'withhold' the Twitter app. In fact, we love it!
[Elon Musk] Uh, OK...
[TC] And, Elon?
[EM] Yes?
[TC] You look like 5h17 and you smell like a dumpster fire
[--phone rings, TC looks at it--]
[TC] Sorry, I have to take this one. It's 'The Register'. Probably asking for a comment.
Elon Trump Junior
Yeah, unsuccessful lies, false accusations, missinformation, etc. often end up as 'misunderstanding'
Gaslighting 101
Always "the misunderstanding", never "my misunderstanding".
Re: Gaslighting 101
More like PR Whore 101: do whatever it takes to get a headline.
'misunderstanding'
My English must be a little rusty. I thought it was spelled 'I'm a complete moron'.
Yes, but...
Just wait until the Apple Mind Control(tm) wears off.
Re: Yes, but...
Oh it doesn't.
Once we have indoctrinated someone into the cult of Apple they can never leave.......
if they try, we go all goudere on them......
The Stepford Musk
The Apple robotics[1] team clearly has the edge over Optimus.
[1] Spoiler alert
pedo
Let's not forget that thanks to Musk's antics in court, and his enthusiasm for free speech, we can quite legally say Elon Musk is a pedo boy, and not get sued.
Re: pedo
Please don't reuse his ridiculously juvenile, white S African nasty slur. The phrase doesn't deserve repeating.
Apple has sort of singled themselves out as the only company that is trying to control, like unilaterally, what apps get on a device. I don't think that's a sustainable or good place to be.
How do I get apps on to an Oculus? Who gets to decide?
(OK, its a bit facetious, as you can pop the device in developer mode and sideload apps, but still)