Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple (AAPL), was faced with a major decision back in 2005. Jobs, who died in 2011, had to pick the team that would develop the iPhone's software.
He had a choice between the team that built the iPod, NBC News reported, which wanted to go with a Linux-based system, or the engineers who had revitalized the software foundation of the Macintosh.
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Faced with either shrinking the Mac, "which would be an epic feat of engineering," or enlarging the iPod, Jobs set the Macintosh and iPod teams, led by Scott Forstall and Tony Fadell, respectively, against each other.
Forstall won by creating the iPhone OS and the mobile operating system, which debuted in 2007 and has been updated annually.
Must Pass App Store Inspection
The current version, iOS 16, was released in September, and now the word in techie circles is that Apple iOS 17 will have an impressive, and somewhat controversial, new feature.
Specifically, this will mark the first time iPhone users will be allowed to download apps hosted outside of the official App Store, according to Bloomberg, a practice known as "sideloading,"
While some devices allow this as a default, Apple devices need to be "jailbroken" to allow for the download of apps that haven't passed the App Store inspection process.
Currently, all iPhone apps must come from the App Store. Apple takes an automatic 30% commission from app developers on all subscription fees.
By permitting sideloading, the computer giant is looking to comply with new European regulations.
The Digital Markets Act was signed into law in September and will become applicable, for the most part, on May 2.
The laws apply to technology companies with market valuations of at least €75 billion, or $80 billion, and a minimum of 45 million monthly users within the European Union.
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The act could see Apple making major changes to the App Store, Messages, FaceTime, Siri, and more.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has maintained that Apple's vetting process is crucial for protecting users from bad actors.
The Cupertino, Calif. company has said that it designed its system to protect its users, and interference from bureaucrats only places them at greater risk.
The U.S. Open App Markets App, which was introduced in 2021, is also intended to protect the ability to sideload apps and prevent operators of app marketplaces from "self-preferencing" their own products.
Apple will host its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in an online format from June 5 through 9.
Separately, the company said that the Apple Card Savings feature is available as of April 17 with an initial annual percentage yield of 4.15%. The savings account has no fees, no minimum deposits, and no minimum balance requirements.
