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Comment by grey-area | Hacker News Reader

I think people object to this not because they hate U2, but because this is a reminder that you don't really control your device, or even the content on it. Apple controls it, and will add or remove content as they see fit.

It reminds me of the incident where Amazon remotely deleted copies of a certain book about a future technological dystopia from kindles.

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I know I sound like a broken record saying this.

But Stallman was right.

The idea that users don't own and control, what they perceive to own and control scares them on a very primordial level.

This is why I try and explain over and over again that there is no such thing as strong security on a mobile when Apple and Google can remotely modify your phone.

If you're running any sort of password manager on a phone, how hard do you think it would be for Apple+Google to take a copy of the encrypted file along with your captured password. Imagine the complete access the US government has on foreign nationals who are high up in the echelons of their own governments.

Stallman was more than right. He was a god damn prophet.

This.

I don't dislike U2.

I do dislike someone deciding whether or not I may or may not like U2 and adding it to my device/playlists.

I recently canned all of my Apple kit and went back to Windows after a number of issues over the years with controlling my devices[2]. It's the only viable platform for me[1] that is improving its reputation and putting the users first.

[1] I can't use *nix platforms for everything I do otherwise I would be using FreeBSD...

[2] Buying and selling iOS devices is a PITA due to the activation lock and getting data in and out of them is troublesome too.

It's only added to your device if you had "automatically download new purchases" selected.

It's not added to your playlists.

Do you also complain about the socks from your parents for Christmas?

Typically you get some say in what you purchase.

a) that's a major feature of iTunes' sync capability. Why wouldn't I have that ticked?

b) I shuffle the entire device so yes it is as I only buy and put music I want on it.

c) Hell yes. Sheldon moment: I have 10 pairs of socks exactly the same and and everyone knows I don't want socks for Christmas. Apple should know I don't want smelly U2 socks for Christmas seeing as my entire device is full of electronic and industrial music.

> It's only added to your device if you had "automatically download new purchases" selected.

Except I didnt purchase that music.It isnt a new purchase,it's just stuffing phones with promotional content.

And if you equate Apple forcing promotional content down to users with parents giving christmas gifts you are insulting (at least my) parents.

The album appeared in your iTunes account as a new purchase. There was not "forced down to users" about it.

It's only added to your device if you had "automatically download new purchases" selected.

Who purchased this album?

Do you also complain about the socks from your parents for Christmas?

The vast majority of people can talk to their parents and ask for no socks, or tell them after the fact.

The vast majority of people have no real way to talk to anyone at Apple who can control this.

THis. Yep, this.

I think the vast majority of the users will not even realize this and will think 'oh wow, free music, thanks Apple.'.

Actually most people I know will say exactly these words to every member of their family "who the fuck put this on my phone? I don't want it".

I think it's even illegal in some countries. But it all depends on the definition of 'software'.

With a bit of a stretch, you can probably call it unauthorized tranmission of data to a device and make a comparison to attempts at password brute-forcing on a website (which I believe is illegal in many countries).

It would only have downloaded to the phone if you'd previously authorised that behaviour.

And that is why when last week I went shopping for an e-reader in Bahrain and found out that the only thing here is the Kindle, I turned around and went home. That was absolutely terrifying behavior from Amazon.

No, many people definitely hate U2 and would never want it on their device. I am one of them.

Yep, don't care that Apple can do this, but I definitely don't want this bloody album on my devices.

http://usvsth3m.com/post/97128521413/how-to-dismantle-an-app...

but I definitely don't want this bloody album on my devices

Then you do care that Apple can do this.

I hate those sample music files from windows media player, how dare they include it with every purchase of windows!

Which can can be deleted in 2 seconds...

Do you really not know how to delete music from your device? Swipe-left, delete.

And what if you have iTunes Match?

How can you hate the weezer buddy holly clip which came with windows 95? It was by far the best file on the windows 95 cd.

WMP didn't download those samples surreptitiously from the internet. Many media players come with a sample track or album, that's not really a big deal.

> you don't really control your device, or even the content on it

You do, you can always remove those songs if you don't want them.

What you do then when they remove something instead?

Then don't purchase anything, and go hide in a cave, so nobody bothers you.

Because the choices are: 1) buy Apple, or 2) hide in a cave.

There's also 3) Go with godawful, over-saturated, epilepsy inducing Samsung and think that a company, that actually double crossed Apple as their strategic partner won't double cross you.

There are an infinite number of things that you can do that are not buying Apple.

Like, for example, roller-skating.

Exactly. Roller skating is fun.

Or use a decade old Nokia.

Better battery life too. Even at 10 years old...

Yeah, I wonder why that might be. Isn't it horrible how for the past 10 years, phones have only been getting worse and worse? I wish we were still living in those times, when phone manufacturers were making _real_ phones, instead of these pathetic excuses for mobile communication devices.

That reminds me, anyone else notice how cars today use way too much gas? My horse carriage uses no gas at all, even at 100 years old…

I'm perfectly happy with my 'just a phone' phone. I already have a ton of distractions in my life and I have yet to see what I could possibly gain from another source of interruptions. I've tried a smartphone for a week, twice in fact and have moved back quickly to the trusty and reliable golden oldie.

Horses and carriages are no substitute for cars in terms of speed, convenience and range.

Range = battery life, convenience = reliability, size, speed -> I can't talk any faster.

Can you?

Sadly you cannot totally purge the songs from your iTunes account. You can only hide the songs from the local iTunes account, but they will continue to live for all of eternity on your iCloud.

So?

So, it seems you can't.

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