Click bait headline. They removed apps that haven’t been updated in 3 years. This means the apps won’t support the latest devices, screen sizes, etc. why would Apple continue selling apps which will work poorly on a customers phone?
Because there are many niche audiences which can't afford constant software updates and having an application that doesn't perfectly support a new device is better for them than not having a application at all.
I would not have a single solitary problem with what they're doing if they allowed side loading, but if they don't allow side loading, this shit isn't okay. I know there's a whack of unmaintained apps out there which are meant to help people with a disability, if somebody relies on such an app, fuck them I guess, they should use a new app that supports the newest screen sizes regardless of if that app exists or not.
I have an apps on there in the art context. I think with software as your medium, if you want your art to live on, you need to keep it updated. Doom is constantly being updated to run on new systems, and valve still updates old games (for example).
Bit rot is something you need to battle with in work production systems too. Even if you wrote something in assembly, you’d eventually have to update it.
It’s the nature of software. Am I misunderstanding what you think should be happening?
Apple could also make their platform backwards compatible.
Don’t be ridiculous. They’re software products for sale on a store. If the developers consider them art and care deeply about that they can release the code and anyone can install the app on their device then.
There is no toss up. Any move that removed “an app [people] need” is completely opposed “to giving customers the best experience”.
I don’t like it when I download an app, only to find that it opens in a weird size because it hasn’t been updated in years. I’d rather not have that as an option to download ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Aside from the fact that it further restricts what it means to “buy” and app (it’s not just a license to use it for as long as apple deems it good looking enough) there’s the bigger issue of purpose.
I don’t download an app so that I have a nice looking UI. I download an app to DO something, to solve a problem. If the app does it in style (or in line with the newest ui fads) that’s nice. But it’s not why I’m looking for an app.
If my options are between a bad looking app and no app, then I’ll take the bad looking one 100% of the time.
The sheer arrogance of thinking you know what a person believes based on one comment. A store owner has every right to not sell broken products. It’s as simple as that.
Also for instance, when I try to install certain apps on the Early 2011 MacBook Pro that I use, there are some apps that have a block/stop icon on the bottom-right of the app icon itself that indicates that it is either not compatible or would not run the the device (It's good start).
But IMO, What Apple is doing is great and it has something to do with Security and Privacy to some extent. Imagine, there is one app has not been downloaded at all or have few downloads for the course of 12 Months for the past 3 years feels like it's a shady app waiting for a victim.