Apple’s App Store has done the unthinkable: it’s signed up to the open web

Last week, Apple’s App Store finally surrendered to the web. This is a momentous development that marks one of the most significant recent setbacks suffered by Silicon Valley’s sprawling app ecosystem.<br><br>For the first time, the App Store will allow so-called third-party payment systems, breaking with a strict policy that forced developers to use in-app payments controlled by Apple. This change will allow developers to use alternatives from Google, Amazon and others. It follows an earlier move to allow developers to contact users outside the app to alert them to alternative payment options.<br><br>What this means, in essence, is that the App Store will act much more like a traditional web marketplace than a rigid, closed platform. It marks a sharp break with the model created by Steve Jobs, who tightly controlled every aspect of the iPhone ecosystem. The change follows a similar surrender from the company’s strict control over the Safari browser, whose previous limitations prevented the very same web apps from offering the same level of performance as native apps.<br><br>The shift is the result of fresh challenges and competition faced by Apple — from the EU’s aggressive competition regulation, to the rise of new entrants in the field of augmented reality.<br><br>[Exerpted from The Financial Times]