

Why is apple refusing to support WebRTC? - taf2

I really can&#x27;t understand why Apple is not supporting WebRTC?   Are they really going to push Facetime over WebRTC?  They seem like completely separate products.
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judah
It comes down to simple economics:

1\. Support web standards allowing developers to build cross-platform apps in
which you [Apple] profit little from.

\-- or --

2\. Lag behind web standards so that developers build iOS-specific apps,
increasing the value of iOS and taking a 30% cut of profits of those apps.

It's in the company's best monetary interest to support #2, so that's exactly
what they're doing, and WebRTC is not the first time. (They're still lagging
behind on HTML5 audio, for example.)

These market forces are the same ones that caused Microsoft be the evil
Microsoft of the 1990s: they have a financial interest in lagging behind web
standards.

~~~
AnimalMuppet
The flaw in what you're saying is that lagging behind web standards does _not_
increase the value of iOS. It may be in Apple's _short term_ best monetary
interest, but I'm more skeptical that it is in their long term best interest.

There's a reason why so many people hated Microsoft back in the 1990s, and it
led many people to get away from Microsoft wherever possible. Apple doesn't
want to end up there...

~~~
romanovcode
Which is ironic because Apple is ending up on exactly the same road MS took in
90's.

------
arnaudbud
This what we know about the technology behind Facetime:
[https://cdn.andyet.com/webrtc-reports/facetime-
report.pdf](https://cdn.andyet.com/webrtc-reports/facetime-report.pdf)

Apple is already participating to the WebRTC Working Group at W3C:
[http://www.w3.org/2000/09/dbwg/details?group=47318&public=1](http://www.w3.org/2000/09/dbwg/details?group=47318&public=1)

Tip from the Apple team: just ask! Seriously! >>
[https://forums.developer.apple.com/content?query=webrtc](https://forums.developer.apple.com/content?query=webrtc)
>> [https://bugreport.apple.com](https://bugreport.apple.com)

A way to contribute getting WebRTC supported by Safari:
[http://www.webrtcinwebkit.org/blog/2015/3/28/bringing-
webrtc...](http://www.webrtcinwebkit.org/blog/2015/3/28/bringing-webrtc-to-
webkit)

In the meantime, a few workarounds: [http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/heres-make-
internet-explorer-sa...](http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/heres-make-internet-
explorer-safari-work-webrtc/)

------
ramon
I agree with judah it really comes down to let these developers pay the 100
dollars, buy a mac book then develop on my platform spending bucks on my "eco-
system" rather then let them easily develop fast on the web without any
headaches.

[https://bloggeek.me/apple-dragging-feet-webrtc/](https://bloggeek.me/apple-
dragging-feet-webrtc/)

I think in a couple of years Apple will be so behind that someone else less
evil will be the underdog.

~~~
smeyer
>I agree with judah it really comes down to let these developers pay...

I think you're making a subtly different point than judah. They seem to be
claiming that apple lags because it enables them to make more off of consumers
via iOS specific apps whereas you seem to be claiming they make more off of
developers via iOS specific apps. I imagine Apple is far more concerned about
judah's consumer point than your developer point; there isn't a ton of profit
in selling $100 developer licenses compared to the massive consumer market.

