This is the third and last email I sent Tim Cook about allowing iOS software outside the App Store. (Here are one and two).
This time I am making the money argument. The iPad is (potentially) every bit as capable as a laptop. With a smart keyboard it even looks like a macBook. But without the ability to install third-party apps, even the iPad Pro is not a full-fledged computer. Just imagine: what if macOS did not have the option of installing apps outside the Mac App Store? How many customers would have to look elsewhere? Maybe Apple is underestimating that effect iPad sales?
Dear Tim,I am writing as a small Apple shareholder. I have reached out earlier on similar topics, and I won’t bother you again.I am convinced that Apple is missing large numbers of iPad sales by not allowing software outside the App Store.Please consider what would happen if macOS software could only be distributed via the Mac App Store. Beyond the outrage and the angry emails from people like me, what would happen? A large swath of diverse macOS software would disappear and the people who rely on it would be forced to switch to Linux or Windows. What kind of software?-software that Apple deems inappropriate for the App Store;-software that is not developed solely for the Mac, and instead of native macOS widgets relies on a cross-platform GUI toolkit and POSIX APIs. Most open source apps fall into this category;
-software written by developers who do not own a Mac;-programs that are not written in C/C++/Objective-C or Swift;-software that is too specialized to be developed for and sold on the App Store, yet represents a lot of users in aggregate (the “long tail” of software).I believe that the iPad is now in that very situation. Today’s iPads are every bit as capable as laptops, but the software restrictions are hurting the adoption of the platform. iPads will only be considered real computers when their owners can install any software of their choice for use in the field, on the factory floor, in the lab, in the classroom or at home.So I respectlfully urge you to consider adding user controls, just like on the Mac, for which sources of software the iPad will allow.Thank you for your attention and all the best,-Benoit
