Tim Cook has been the CEO of Apple since 2011, when he took the helm from Steve Jobs. Cook has been working for Apple since 1998, and he’s pretty much set in with the vision Jobs had for the company, and it’s unlikely he’d budge from that.
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That resolve was showcased recently when Tim Cook spoke at The New York Times “DealBook” summit when he said the following:
“I think that people have that choice today, Andrew, if you want to sideload, you can buy an Android phone. That choice exists when you go into the carrier shop. If that is important to you, then you should buy an Android phone. From our point of view, it would be like if I were an automobile manufacturer telling [customers] not to put airbags and seat belts in the car. He would never think about doing this in today’s time. It’s just too risky to do that. And so, it would not be an iPhone if it didn’t maximize security and privacy.”
Tim Cook via ZDNet
Sideloading is the ability to install apps that are not from either platform’s app stores. Android phones allow this, but you have to turn off the built-in protection Google has baked in. Apple does not allow sideloading of apps at all and never has. And from this comment Tim Cook gave, they probably never will.
Apple argues that it is protecting its users from possible hacking or malicious apps that are not vetted through Apple’s App Store security. Google also vets apps through its Play Store, but if a user chooses to sideload an app, they do so with no protection.
Android users who like to sideload apps argue that Apple’s stance on this limits the freedom of users to do what they want to do with their devices. We can understand both sides, but for now, Tim Cook is telling us to buy an Android phone if that’s a feature that is important to you. He has a point. There are plenty of choices other than an iPhone if you want to sideload.
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