Apple “does not like” Web3, but it recently recruited Web3-related talent. On 29 July news, Apple is seeking experts in the field of Web3. It needs a creative director who is interested in interactive platforms and Web3 and a content marketing director who understands Web3 technology. This news is both in and out of the realm of reason.
It makes sense that all five major technology companies in the U.S. are laying out Web3, and Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are all “cloud giants” who are the natural beneficiaries of the Web3 boom (generally speaking, every Web3 startup needs cloud services). Meta, on the other hand, has found the “strong connection” between Web3 and social, and started to lay out this track vigorously. According to Tiger’s observation, the biggest social giants in China, the US, Russia and Japan are all on the Web3 track because NFT can bring “confirmed value” to creators’ content. Apple, as the “head of the global technology industry”, naturally will not ignore this technology and trend of Web3.
The reason is that Apple does not like Web3 by nature, and the values, philosophy, and business dealings between the two do not find a “common ground”.
One of the core concepts of Web3 is: decentralization. Although Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta are all centralized Internet giants, there are levels of centralization, and cloud giants such as Amazon also advocate the “distributed concept”. What’s more, these four tech giants have found a business combination with Web3 and have explored greater business opportunities, so they are not so much rejecting Web3, but actively embracing it.
Apple seems to be born with Web3 “out of place”. Apple’s IOS system is more closed, Google’s Android system, more open. At present, almost all Web3 and cell phone-related innovations, have fallen to the Android system, not IOS; have fallen to the Android phone manufacturers, not Apple. Recently, Web3 giant Solana made cell phone software: Solana Mobile Stack, which is based on Android system. And no matter Samsung, HTC, Nothing and other cell phone manufacturers, they are also based on Android for development.
Google’s Android and Web3 in the operating system “sympathy”, Amazon Cloud, Google Cloud, Microsoft Cloud, Huawei Cloud, Ali Cloud and Web3 “scandal”. Apple has become the only technology giant that cannot find a larger business combination with Web3.
What makes Apple even more uneasy is that, unlike other tech giants, Apple’s market share is more likely to decrease because of Web3’s boom.
People often treat the public chain as a cloud database such as AWS, the wallet as an operating system, and the DAPP as an APP, except that the public chain and AWS, although both are databases, have no direct competition; the wallet as an operating system, but the Web3 wallet and Android also have no direct competition; the DAPP and APP, because the number of users and time is relatively fixed, from this In the sense of direct competition, but Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other APPs have found a combination with Web3 and are in a relationship of both competition and cooperation.
Apple, on the other hand, seems to be inherently incompatible with Web3. Because the ecology is more closed, Web3 vendors are cooperating with Android, constantly stealing Apple’s market share; because there are only private cloud services, and no public cloud services, you can only watch Amazon, Google, Microsoft and other cloud business grow because of the increase in Web3 companies, and there is nothing you can do.
What is more interesting is that Web3 can hardly overthrow the rule of the public cloud, but it is possible to get more users on a personal private cloud. Some domestic vendors have now launched decentralized personal private cloud services. This, in turn, is in direct competition with Apple’s business.
Web3, in all aspects, seems to have a big gap with Apple, but its existence seems to be born from restraining Apple’s development. This makes Apple’s “dislike” of Web3 technology even greater. Matthew Ball, managing partner of venture capital firm Epyllion Co. argues that Apple may be stifling the development of a Web3-based metaverse.
Ball said that while Apple seems capable of “thriving in the next era of more immersive computing,” its control over distribution could hinder the industry as a whole. He claims that by not allowing Crypto-based virtual worlds, Apple has succeeded in preventing a specific type of disruptive innovation and category. By avoiding complex virtual worlds, the tech giant is exerting undue influence over “what is available and what is not.
Ball said Apple makes a large portion of its profits by controlling the software on its platform through APIs or application programming interfaces, which act as a bridge between two applications. apps on Apple’s iOS interface are approved by Apple and must be paid to Apple. All of Web3’s apps, on the other hand, are in the form of DAPPs, which attempt to be free of Apple’s control.
It’s not just Web3, Apple is so strong that sometimes other Internet giants “dare not speak out”. Whether it’s Amazon, Google, Tencent or Meta, their basic services, i.e. services for individual users, are mainly shown in the form of APPs on the cell phone. And Apple occupies an absolute market share on the cell phone side, these Internet giants can hardly disagree with Apple’s rules and fees.
Generally speaking, Apple takes 30% of the cost of downloading an app and 70% of the developer’s “Apple Tax”. And APP (some need, some do not need), the user pays, Apple still have to take 30%. Even strong as Tencent (the user volume is not lower than Apple), previously in the process of fighting with Apple, can only comply with Apple’s rules to act.
The enemy of the enemy is a friend, and this has become the basis of cooperation between Internet companies and Web3 companies, besides, they themselves have cooperation.
However, even so, an awkward status quo is that when Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, IBM and other tech giants have found a combination of their core business with Web3. Only Apple stands alone as the forgotten one in Web3 development.
