>Still, I (and most I guess) wouldn't use it to watch Netflix over individual apps.
If the experience is so much better why are Apple scared to let other browsers into the app store?
Phones are general purpose computers for the majority of the world's population, exercising such authoritarian grip over what a user can do with the device is very depressing to see being defended.
>If the experience is so much better why are Apple scared to let other browsers into the app store?
Well, the weasel word "scared" kind of begs the question.
Who said it's "scared"?
Apple spearheaded the modern browser with Safari. Chrome wasn't even a thing then (it forked off of Apple's work on Safari/Webkit later, just like v8 came after Apple's own JSC JIT work).
As for Mobile Safari, it took several years for Android browsers to come close: Android Browser in particular was a piece of crap, slower, and lacking more features, than Mobile Safari. Was Google also "scared" of web apps?
Also note that, when Apple suggested to developers they make their own web apps in lack of a native SDK, most dissed those and wanted, nay, demanded a native SDK.
And Mobile Safari is not exactly some bad browser holding those apps back. You can watch Netflix on mobile safari, on the web, if you so want. Why would you though?
And here's the 1000 pound argument: do you see many people watching Netflix on Android Chrome, as opposed to using the Android Netflix app?
Didn't think so.
Why would they do it on the iPhone then, if Chrome was available in the App Store?
>Phones are general purpose computers for the majority of the world's population
>Apple spearheaded the modern browser with Safari...
>As for Mobile Safari, it took several years for Android browsers to come close...
>suggested to developers they make their own web apps in lack of a native SDK, most dissed those...
>Safari is not exactly some bad browser holding those apps back...
>do you see many people watching Netflix on Android Chrome...
Absolutely none of these points are arguments against having the option to have an alternative browser rendering engine. Not sure why you think they are.
>Absolutely none of these points are arguments against having the option to have an alternative browser rendering engine. Not sure why you think they are.
Not sure why you think they were intended to be.
Those weren't "arguments against having the option to have an alternative browser rendering engine".
Those were arguments about "Apple not having an alternative rendering engine" is not about sabotaging some imaginary web app revolution, just about Safari having its own timeline and priorities.
Regarding that, not how there's no such web-over-native-app trend in Android either, where Chrome IS available. Most still prefer native apps.
If you think, you could also think them as "arguments not against, but as to why it's no big deal to not have an alternative browser rendering engine".
I don't think this conversation is going anywhere to be honest. Maybe I misinterpreted your point.
My central point was I see no reason for Apple to disallow altnernative browsers (not just shells around webkit) other than to gatekeep. Your points about safari being better or users not using a PWA for netflix don't seem to relate to this I don't think. I think Apple is only concerned about staying in control with regards to what users can install on their devices. I don't think they want other browsers to be genuine alternatives to iOS safari so they've essentially neutered the competition.
I also think you flippantly dismissed that a very large portion of the world is mobile first (not just the third world anymore) and this to me makes having the choice even more important.
Mobile Safari does hold the Web back. Examples are easy to find:
Safari doesn't support the standard unprefixed fullscreen API, while Firefox and Chrome have for years, so Web developers have to write a bunch of compatibility crap or accept fullscreen not working on iOS.
Firefox and Chrome have supported WebGL2 for years, iOS Safari still doesn't.
> Safari doesn't support the standard unprefixed fullscreen API, while Firefox and Chrome have for years, so Web developers have to write a bunch of compatibility crap or accept fullscreen not working on iOS.
Having used an iPad for general web browsing for a while, the worst change they made was allowing web apps write their own fullscreen interfaces. I can't think of any video website where they've done a better job at basic video player controls than what the OS does natively.
Fullscreen isn't just for video though. It's very commonly used for games. I also wrote fullscreen support for "DOM videos" (e.g. https://pernos.co/about/overview/) using the fullscreen API. The latter doesn't even support Webkit because the compatibility work was just too hard.
If the experience is so much better why are Apple scared to let other browsers into the app store?
Phones are general purpose computers for the majority of the world's population, exercising such authoritarian grip over what a user can do with the device is very depressing to see being defended.