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Comment by freedomben | Hacker News Reader

I actually disagree, I think the success of the iPhone has proven Apple correct that people don't want to deal with "files." Personally I despise it, but as iPhones have become nearly ubiquitous in the US, I can't help but feel the sting of being in a minority group that actually wants a general purpose computer rather than an "appliance"

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You can't really evoke revealed preference here; there's a lot of incentive for platform builders to lean away from general-purpose use and towards appliance-ification, and there's no real option on the market for consumers to flock to if they want a capable general-purpose pocket computer.

Sure, there's android. Android has a file browser.

A dumbed down file browser.

Just like iOS!

I'm curious how Android isn't that? What's missing that would classify most Android phones as general-purpose computers?

Yeah that's fair. Man, I hope that changes though. I would buy the hell out of a general purpose pocket computer.

I think phones are a something different. Agreed you mostly consume on them and less need for "files". It's a phone appliance.

But WTH is an iPad for with the larger screen and all that power? Watching videos or maybe some games I guess?

iPhones are definitely not nearly ubiquitous.

I hope you are correct, but I'm skeptical. May I ask what demographic? Among the youth, nearly 90% or more have iPhones, seemingly regardless of socioeconomics situations.

Definitely not "regardless of socioeconomics situations". I don't know which bubble you are living in.

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