As readers of this blog know, I’ve long advocated for Apple to abandon its use of flags on its global gateway.

I first began saying so publicly in 2004. In 2010 I thought Apple was getting close to giving up on flags. In 2013 I made the mistake of predicting it happening in the year ahead.

Eventually, I simply resorted to saying that it was not a matter of if but when.

Last week, Apple dropped flags from its website.

Here are screen shots of the before and after global gateways:

Apple’s global gateway: Before and After

This is a big deal, for reasons I will expand upon in the months ahead.

Apple doesn’t want to wade into geopolitical entanglements any more than the next multinational. By leaving flags off of the global gateway, Apple avoids many potential issues.

But, more than that, Apple creates a more user-friendly experience.

Congratulations, Apple.

Welcome to the club.

John Yunker
John Yunker

John is co-founder of Byte Level Research and author of Think Outside the Country as well as 19 editions of The Web Globalization Report Card.

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