Good I hope they get racked over for this nearly every one of there "privacy" features has a massive, often undisclosed, caveat or is sidestepped by there own software.
Apple is very clear when data is collected. Are you saying they shouldn’t be allowed to collect data unless they sell it to third parties?
It might be the best privacy-aware option available, but that does not mean it is especially good. Merely the least bad option.
Except most people goes by what they said in the Ads, in their PRs, submarine articles, in their Marketing Speech, and everything else. And Apple collecting "Data", is against the image of what the public believe they ( Apple ) said or led to believe.
Remember, Apple led and fueled the campaign of Data Collection and Tracking equals violation of Privacy in the first place, regardless of whether it was First Party or Third Party. And it was the same even on HN during 2018 - 2021. People who disagree might want to read through all the comments on the subject during that period. I could count single handedly the people who stood up for the difference between First and Third Party "Data Collection".
It starts when you buy an iphone - you can't use it without activating it with apple. Then it starts with a screen that tells you apple will use your data, with no choice. You can turn off some things, but what apple decides you can. I would like to firewall my phone, honestly. People need little snitch for their phone (ungimped)
Really, if apple actually let me into my own phone, I would buy all kinds of stuff without limitation.
I remember what matt ridley said in "the rational optimist" - when there is trust, there are no limits to trade.
I can hear it now:
"We're not being anti-competitive. Our users, and US courts are demanding we lock down our users' privacy. We have no choice but to comply. Maybe Google and Facebook can work out some other way to make money?"
"Oh, yeah, I guess you're right? They are pretty big competitors. Pity that. Oh well, what's to be done? We're all obligated to operate within the confines of the current legal environment after all.'
[0] https://www.counterpointresearch.com/global-handset-market-o...
But, Apple lock-in, and other self-serving restrictions, may be the reason we don’t hear about many potential products that never make it. Anti-competitiveness protects margins in the long term by avoiding pesky upstarts and challengers that might change the playing field.
(Not critiquing any privacy issue with this comment. Just competitive issues from Apples view, and the view of all the non-Apples, in the abstract and the real.)
This is where its dominance may require antitrust action at some level. Or Apple is unlikely to appreciate restricting itself equally to others.