Do you want to control your device or are you okay with someone else controlling it?
Why? I can't imagine any kind of real trust relationship except with individual developers or small shops who can be responsive to individual customers. I certainly trust Apple more than Microsoft, but I can't imagine any situation in which I'd say I trusted them (or any other megacorp) in an unqualified sense.
When they did finally issue a refund it was for only half the order. I requested a chargeback from my bank and at this point they are siding with Apple. Not really sure why I keep money in a bank or use credit cards.
I'm on your "side" on this in that I dislike closed ecosystems, spyware and not having control over my own devices. But I am not in tech and the vast majority of people I know don't care about this and likely never will, and every year that goes by without Apple remotely bricking their phone with no recourse only strengthens their apathy.
Trust doesn't have to be unqualified. You can accept that Apple's incentives don't align perfectly with yours while being comfortable that they align enough that Apple will provide you with the service you're looking for.
"The user controls the program or the program controls the user" is a false dichotomy to people who spend most of their time in the real world.
It is not a false dichotomy: Apple controls who gets to use iPhones and what they get to do on iPhones.
Can someone use an iPhone without an Apple account? If Apple were to lock or ban a user's Apple account, what could the user do about it?
Can someone run arbitrary software of their choice on an iPhone?
>> You can accept that Apple's incentives don't align perfectly with yours while being comfortable that they align enough that Apple will provide you with the service you're looking for.
Yes, but for how long and under what conditions? How willing are people to change when they are locked-in to the Apple ecosystem?
> Can someone run arbitrary software of their choice on an iPhone?
These are not restrictions that are likely to be relevant to the people I am talking about.
You will ask me how I know. The statement is forward looking so obviously I can't prove it, but I know people who have happily been using iPhones for 15+ years without ever giving a thought to these questions. (I know that because I've had this same conversation with some of them.)
In the meantime, these people can go where they want, do what they want, say what they want, etc etc. They are not, in any real sense, being controlled by the software on their iPhone.
If you live in the first world, pay your bills, are not a criminal and your phone usage is mostly limited to Instagram and WhatsApp, the likelihood of your Apple account being shut down without warning or recourse is very small. So for such people, the risk is too remote to dedicate much thought to.
You probably meant Apple devices in general? The iPhone is not yet 20 years old.
That's exactly my problem—for a small company that is responsive to individual users, I could build on that trust and have some confidence that it might continue. For Apple, they don't care about my trust at all; so, if there is something that they want to do that will harm me personally, then they have no reason not to do it as long as it will not negatively affect their standing with most of their customer base. It doesn't matter how many years their interests have aligned with mine; if our interests diverge tomorrow, then, not only will they go with theirs, they won't even consider mine.
If you think the small companies are any different, you’re delusional. Everybody’s in it for themselves.
But, that’s fine with me. I just think the odds of that are low based on Apple’s track record of 20+ years.
The reality is that most people are choosing to let Apple or Google control their mobile devices.
From what I have read, most free / libre smartphones are not ready for consumer use. Are there are any "good enough for grandma" libre smartphones?
Replace “most” with “all” and you’re closer to the truth.
Huge amounts of copium from anyone who thinks otherwise.