Even Apple will be hated one day | Hacker News Reader

Even Apple will be hated one day

itworld.com

13 pointspaulsb11 comments

But they are already, both Google and Apple. Companies are like politicians: don't support them because you like them, but because they can help you. When they stop helping you, support someone else.

See also: this month's Wired cover.

For me, that day is in the past. One of the most satisfying days in my life was when I installed Rockbox on my iPod and was able to eradicate iTunes from my PC. Slow, bloated, DRM-infested piece of uselessness if you ask me. Now, I can simply copy MP3 files to a removable drive, just like God intended.

Their actions regarding AT&T lock-in, auto-bundling Safari in iTunes updates, and forbidding Flash or Java on iPhones have only confirmed my impression that Apple would love to abuse its monopoly position, if only it had one.

Two sides to every coin:

1. iPod and iTunes is one package. You use both to get the iPod experience and iTunes manages play counts, user behaviors, album covers, ratings, and store purchases. If you just wanted a mp3 player then get a cheap Asian one but complaining about how the iPod isn't right for you just seems like a waste of your time and God's time.

2. AT&T signed the partnership contract while T-Mobile and Verizon didn't. You're obviously a man of very important stature, you should give those CEOs a ring to get this resolved.

3. Apple Updates is a delivery platform for updates AND software. Last I recall, using Windows XP's update feature they would push software to me all the time too. How's that IE7 uninstall process going?

4. Flash churns up quite a lot of CPU cycles. That leads to battery usage. Which leads to unhappy users. Oh, since you're an arbiter of technology you can help me solve this problem: how do you create an interface for Flash applications to recognize your fat finger tips as a single pixel mouse pointer or how to make multitouch work on a Flash application without creating false positive contacts? Oh, wait, it might actually require some time and knowledge with iPhone's interface? No wonder that's why they opted to push that webapp solution instead and how everything on the iPhone are BIG BLOCKS or BIG BUTTONS? As for Java, you got me there.

You also must be new to Apple ideology. Apple as a company pushes innovation and it does so at the expense of its small user base. But at the same time, if it was up to the majority to decide on when to start using the mouse, stop using floppy disks, start using CD-ROM, and start using USB well... it'll be never. They're in a great position by being 'small' and not having to kowtow to customers (really, how smart are customers?) and if anything it's going to be their popularity that's going to trip them up. The bigger the user base the more noise and lamer whining.

No, I never did subscribe to Apple ideology, but I can see that you're quite indoctrinated.

1) You got me there. I was quite stupid to pay for an overpriced iPod when all I wanted to do was rip my CD's to an MP3 player. Unfortunately the packaging did not contain a disclaimer saying that the computer interface did not work like every other MP3 player ever sold. Apple will never fool me twice.

2) I can see if AT&T somehow subsidized the phone, the lock-in would be fair, but it doesn't. Apple got the exclusive contract only so it could get extra cash above and beyond the original purchase price. This is about as consumer-friendly as the crapware that is preinstalled on most PC's.

3) Equating Apple's practices to Microsoft's practices only strengthens my argument.

4) It has nothing to do with CPU cycles or battery life. The SDK allows any developer to waste as much battery life as they want. I was referring to the prohibition against interpreters: http://blog.mozilla.com/rob-sayre/2008/03/06/apple-bans-fire...

1. iPods are priced quite well in their segments. I would offer that you buy other products in the future, Sandisk have quite a few dandy mp3 players.

2. How do you know AT&T is not subsidizing the $399 price point? Apple got the contract because AT&T was willing to share profits and upgrade their service backend. The other companies didn't want to, what exactly are you complaining about?

3. For what it's worth Apple has already said it's going to use iTunes and Software Update to push Safari. http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1286 And it's ultimately up to the end user to install what they want to install. Safari is not an integrated service with iTunes and someone doesn't want to install it (like me) they just uncheck it and press done.

4. I'm of the point that they're forbidding Java and Flash because of its interference with iPhone's UI. And the link your posted is sensationalizing the fact that apps written for iPhone won't be able to download other code to run. Wow. That's sure is a shocker. I'm amazed they even bothered setting up the App Store and reviewgate. It also seems quite poignant to point out that iPhone can't run all those nifty programs.

Like I said, it's a double-edged sword. Apple releases a product/machine and people jump and dance around and demand it be doing this and that and this and that and this. Then everyone and hoops and holler that it doesn't. At the end of the day it's a computer. Apples are meant to look pretty, if you don't like there's plenty of other PC manufacturers ready to take your money. That or you can donate it to save Darfur or something.

Given the sheer number of things that Apple does, it's not exactly hard to say that at some point in the future, Apple will be disliked.

the key difference between Apple and MS is that Apple doesn't currently produce garbage that they overcharge for (though there may be an exception here and there). it's easier to put up with a jerk company that produces nice stuff

What are you talking about? Apple overcharges for everything. Their monitors and laptops alone are probably 20% more expensive than the PC equivalents. Early iPods had terrible battery life and sound quality. As far as the OS, Windows sets the bar pretty low, but the recent versions of OSX have not been the most stable.

I've wanted to play around with their laptops, iPods, and iPhone, but everytime I start looking into it the price scares me off. I've been more than happy staying away from both MS and Apple products, but at least the Apple ones pique my interest slightly.

not true. apple may not have low end models and prices but their midrange and highend machines are comparable to their pc counterparts with price. they start at 799...

not to mention that apple machines are both stable, secure, and easy to use. windows can only claim easy to use (i grew up on it) while most unix distros can't claim to be easy

" Early iPods had terrible battery life and sound quality"

that is no longer the case and they were still better than anything out on the market when they first came out

btw - clever name... reminds me of nsx2

Apple is no different than google, ms and ibm ...I just read the extract from the book "The Self-Destructive Habits of Good Companies". The author and well known academic Jagdish Sheth says that he's closely watching a clutch of hugely successful companies such as Google and Cisco and he is convinced that on their way to success, these companies have unintentionally acquired certain bad habits which might lead to their downfall. With success, Google will become arrogant and complacent. Google is today's avatar of Microsoft, which is yesterday's avatar of IBM.

"I used to think that competition destroys good companies. Strangely, I found that's not true: companies destroy themselves," says Sheth. "On the way to becoming successful or achieving survival or greatness, companies begin to acquire bad habits." None of these habits, he says, are acquired intentionally but it happens as a side effect of growth.

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