Jeff Shiner:
Why would 1Password acquire a device health and contextual access management solution? The reality is that access isn’t secure if the device doing the access isn’t secure. This is part of the complexity of the modern way we work. Every device, regardless of location, must be secure – just as every log-in, regardless of location, employee, or type of device used, must be secure.
This is where Kolide fits into the 1Password story. Kolide is a leader in device health and contextual access management, and companies need a way to ensure that both the device used and every access request are secure. What also makes Kolide particularly compelling is how the company has taken a similar approach to 1Password and works to enlist employees to deliver better security. This is only possible by providing employees with tools that make security easy to use and adopt, enable them to secure their own activities, and provide them with the context to make the right decisions at the right time.
Kolide:
Kolide is a powerful tool to help your company reach its compliance goals through the power of end-user self-remediation. We leverage the principles of Zero Trust to block a device from accessing your company’s SaaS apps and other resources if it isn’t running the Kolide agent or passing specific requirements.
Jason Meller:
Kolide’s product isn’t going anywhere. More importantly, we (the humans of Kolide) aren’t going anywhere. As part of 1Password, we expect our roadmap to both accelerate and become more ambitious. As a fully intact team, we are continuing to build, iterate, support, and sell Kolide within 1Password.
[…]
It’s been clear since the launch of Device Trust that we need to get these capabilities into everyone’s hands. 1Password shares the same spirit and heart that made it possible for us to create a product like Kolide in the first place. Together, we can get the best way to secure devices and apps into everyone’s hands, no matter who you are.
[…]
We will continue to support and sell the Okta integration to existing and new customers. We have no plans to stop offering Device Trust via Okta, only to grow and expand it, including adding support for Okta’s newly released features.
1Password Acquisition Business iOS Kolide Mac Security Web
Juli Clover:
Epic Games today announced plans to bring the Epic Games Store to iOS in the European Union, with Apple reinstating the company’s developer account.
[…]
The Epic Games Store will launch on iOS in the EU at some point in 2024, and it will provide a way for Epic Games to bring a Fortnite app to iOS once again.
[…]
While working to implement the Epic Games Store on iOS, Epic also plans to continue to “argue to the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law.”
Tim Sweeney:
I’ll be the first to acknowledge a good faith move by Apple amidst our cataclysmic antitrust battle, in granting Epic Games Sweden AB a developer account for operating Epic Games Store and Fortnite in Europe under the Digital Markets Act.
It sounds like their developer account was not reinstated, but rather they got a new account for a different legal entity that operates in Europe. It does not sound like they will be using this account to bring back Fortnite for Mac.
Tim Sweeney:
We never understood why Apple killed Fortnite for Mac. Fortnite was never on the Mac App Store and broke no Mac App Store rules. Perhaps someday Apple will explain why they killed Fortnite for iOS while not enforcing the same rules against Facebook, Roblox, and others.
Recall that the account used for the Mac version of Fortnite was associated with the separate Epic International entity that did not violate the App Store guidelines.
John Gruber:
Apple plays hardball, for sure. And Apple has a long institutional memory and knows how to hold a grudge. But Apple is not a spiteful company. Apple likes its corporate nose right where it is — on its face. They play hardball strategically — to their own advantage first, to their users’ advantage second. That’s something Apple’s most vehement critics just don’t get. Setting up Epic to be a winner under their DMA compliance also sets Apple up to be a winner.
It does seem spiteful that Apple didn’t restore Epic’s main developer account, or the Unreal Engine account, even after publicly stating that they would do so. Epic had wanted to bring back Fortnite in South Korea after the Telecommunications Business Act required Apple to allow external purchases there.
It would be quite the public relations coup for Apple to get Epic and Tim Sweeney on their side. And game stores in particular seem like a perfect fit for Apple’s marketplaces, because games primarily monetize by getting players to pay, not just be tracked to be shown ads. Strange times make for strange bedfellows.
Previously:
Antitrust App Marketplaces Digital Markets Act (DMA) Epic Games European Union Fortnite iOS iOS 17 iOS App Mac Mac App macOS 14 Sonoma Unreal Engine
Made by Windmill (via John Gruber):
A native Mac app for GitHub and GitLab Issues.
[…]
Change task titles, assignees, and labels, all on one line.
No need to leave your keyboard — just enter “@” for assignees and “#” for labels.
[…]
Intuitively change multiple tasks’ attributes at the same time.
Just select multiple tasks in the list, and edit attributes in the Inspector.
[…]
Priorities are a first class citizen in Sonar.
Priorities show up as labels to others, so your coworkers aren’t left in the dust.
[…]
Sonar constantly updates search results as you’re typing.
[…]
Switch between Smart Filters for custom views of your tasks.
Change how tasks are grouped to get a better perspective.
I’m storing my code on my own server and using EagleFiler to manage my issues, but if I were using GitHub I’d give this a serious try. It seems to be well done.
It says “no subscriptions or purchases required,” but as far as I can tell that just means there’s a free trial. Beyond that, it costs $5/month or $39/year.
Previously:
Update (2024-04-24): Jeff Johnson:
Sonar is the name of an Apple internal app used by some support teams for tracking customer emails.
Made by Windmill:
Taska is beautifully designed to let you quickly create and edit GitHub/GitLab issues.
App Subscriptions Bug Tracking Developer Tool GitHub GitLab Mac Mac App macOS 14 Sonoma Markdown Sonar Taska
Tim Hardwick (Hacker News):
Apple is set to be hit with a €500 million ($538 million) fine for allegedly breaking EU law over access to music streaming services, according to a Financial Times report.
The focus of the European Commission’s investigation has been Apple’s policy of preventing streaming music apps from informing iPhone and iPad users within the app that lower subscription prices are available when signing up outside of the App Store.
[…]
According to the paywalled FT report, the Commission will say Apple’s actions are illegal and go against the bloc’s rules that enforce competition in the single market. Subsequently, it will ban Apple’s practice of blocking music services from letting users outside its App Store switch to cheaper alternatives, which has historically given Apple Music an unfair advantage.
Previously:
Update (2024-02-23): Juli Clover:
In a statement to MacRumors, Apple said that Spotify is aiming to get unlimited access to Apple’s tools and services without paying anything for the value that Spotify receives from the App Store.
“We’re happy to support the success of all developers -- including Spotify, which is the largest music streaming app in the world. Spotify pays Apple nothing for the services that have helped them build, update, and share their app with Apple users in 160 countries spanning the globe. Fundamentally, their complaint is about trying to get limitless access to all of Apple’s tools without paying anything for the value Apple provides.”
[…]
In a statement, Spotify said it does not have a level playing field with Apple and trusts that the European Commission will take action to create a fair ecosystem.
Spotify’s success has happened despite Apple’s best efforts to gain an artificial advantage by favoring their own music service at every turn while placing roadblocks and imposing unfair restrictions on ours. Under their current rules Apple controls Spotify’s access to its own customers and gives Spotify one of two untenable options: We either have to deliver a poor user experience where we can’t directly communicate how to buy or subscribe to Spotify on iPhones or we have to accept a 30% cost disadvantage against our biggest competitor. This is not a level playing field. We support the European Commission and trust that they will take action soon to create a fair ecosystem for everyone involved.
Steve Troughton-Smith:
Whoever wrote the anti-steering clause into the App Store Guidelines just cost the company half a billion dollars in fines, so far, based on a single category of affected app — music.
Yet the company still has the gall to put out PR spin, regurgitated as fact by favored outlets, as if it’s a victim.
Jon Maddox:
You know what “nothing” is? iPhones without third party software.
Previously:
Antitrust App Store Apple Apple Music European Union iOS Legal Spotify
