Linked List: December 20, 2017

Wednesday, 20 December 2017

Microsoft Removes Google’s Chrome ‘Installer’ From the Windows Store ★

Tom Warren, reporting for The Verge:

Google published a Chrome app in the Windows Store earlier today, which just directed users to a download link to install the browser. Microsoft isn’t impressed with Google’s obvious snub of the Windows Store, and it’s taking action. “We have removed the Google Chrome Installer App from Microsoft Store, as it violates our Microsoft Store policies,” says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge.

Citing the need to ensure apps “provide unique and distinct value,” Microsoft says “we welcome Google to build a Microsoft Store browser app compliant with our Microsoft Store policies.” That’s an invitation that Google is unlikely to accept. There are many reasons Google won’t likely bring Chrome to the Windows Store, but the primary reason is probably related to Microsoft’s Windows 10 S restrictions. Windows Store apps that browse the web must use HTML and JavaScript engines provided by Windows 10, and Google’s Chrome browser uses its own Blink rendering engine. Google would have to create a special Chrome app that would adhere to Microsoft’s Store policies.

In other words, the actual app Google submitted to the Windows Store complied with Microsoft’s rules, but all it did was forward users to a download of the regular version of Chrome, which in no way, shape, or form complies with the Windows Store rules. I’m sure people do search the Windows Store for Chrome — people like using app stores to install and manage software, because they’re easy to use and trustworthy. But it’s ridiculous to think that Microsoft was ever going to let this fly. It often feels like Google is run by a bunch of teenagers who think the rules don’t apply to them because they’re in the gifted program at school.

Amazon Prime TV App Breaks Apple TV Download Record ★

Brad Gibson (there’s a byline I haven’t linked to in a while), writing for Best Apple TV:

Amazon’s recently released Prime Video app was the most downloaded of any tvOS app ever in its first seven days, Apple confirmed Monday through a statement provided by Amazon.

The confirmation from Apple released by Amazon to BESTAppleTV.com read, “Prime Video has been a hit with Apple TV customers around the world — it had the most first-week downloads of any app in the history of tvOS.”

What is not known is how many times the app has been downloaded from the Apple TV App Store leading it to break the record or the app and its record that was broken. It is also not known if Apple provided record-breaking comparison numbers to Amazon.

Actually, we know exactly how many times it was downloaded: one standard Bezos unit.

For all my gripes about the design and implementation of the Amazon Prime Apple TV app (why in the world do you have to click after changing the selected tab, when every other Apple TV app in the world changes the displayed content live as you change the selection?), I’m not surprised it’s so popular. It’s inarguably the most-awaited Apple TV app ever. Amazon Prime has a great selection of content, and a ton of users.

The best part about the app is that it does support the integration with Apple’s own TV app, so you can largely avoid interacting with the Amazon Prime app itself.