Is Apple becoming a monopoly?

[Bob Maxey]

I apologize if I sounded condescending ...

You are right, 100%

I just have a problem with a vast majority off society whom eats of the spoon of corporate B.S.

I agree, people are entitled to like what they like! All I'm asking is for people to dig a little into what they're buying into rather than just saying "Hey! O.K.! I trust you with my life!" kinda thing.

I did not find you condescending. My view is on a forum like this, many people go nuts for some new feature or whatever and they represent a small percentage of the user base that could care less.

For example, rooting. We love it most do not care one way or another. All they want is email and Facebook, perhaps YouTube.

I assert that most people with cell phones do not care about things like rooting and many here think one brand is better because they can root it or it offers NFC. Or they go crazy waiting for some exploit few outside this group care about.

Some people do research their purchases. I do because I want value not BS and fluff. I have preferences as do you. What I like, I like for specific reasons and for many people, those reasons are not good enough.

So I research my needs and find a deal. I use Cricket and VM because I do not want a contract. I want to know to the penny what my bill will be at month's end and I want to jmp between carriers if I wat to withouy paying hundreds of dollars. When you look at what Cricket offers, it is a bloody good deal and my service is as good as anyone's here in Utah.

Not sure what you mean by "vast majority off society whom eats of the spoon of corporate B.S." Remember that most business done in this country is done by small companies, not huge ones. And it is impossible for a small company to do some things without becoming a large company.

You would be very unhappy if corporations were operated like you (apparently) sem to want. No offence.

For example, operating a cell phone company or manufacturing the hundreds of millions of iDevices Apple sells. We need large corporations to get things done; without their size, they cannot do much.

In the future, it might prove helpful if rather than blame corporations in general, you give a few examples. I can see much wrong with some and lots of good as well.

 

[aysiu]

I assert that most people with cell phones do not care about things like rooting and many here think one brand is better because they can root it or it offers NFC. Or they go crazy waiting for some exploit few outside this group care about.

While most consumers don't care too much for the rooting process, many of them would appreciate the freedom rooting gives them ultimately (if someone did the rooting for them). For example, when you root, you can get native tethering. Who doesn't want that? If you jailbreak an iPhone, you can change your default web browser and fully integrate Google Voice.

What matters most is freedom combined with good defaults. The problem with a lot of out-of-the-box consumer devices is that you often get no freedom with good defaults or lots of freedom with bad defaults. Very rarely do you get full freedom to customize with very little reason to customize (i.e., good defaults).

 

[Bob Maxey]

While most consumers don't care too much for the rooting process, many of them would appreciate the freedom rooting gives them ultimately (if someone did the rooting for them). For example, when you root, you can get native tethering. Who doesn't want that? If you jailbreak an iPhone, you can change your default web browser and fully integrate Google Voice.

What matters most is freedom combined with good defaults. The problem with a lot of out-of-the-box consumer devices is that you often get no freedom with good defaults or lots of freedom with bad defaults. Very rarely do you get full freedom to customize with very little reason to customize (i.e., good defaults).

I am not so sure about that. Most people have lives and they do not know about rooting or how bad Apple is or how much this or that is good or bad. They do know it is illegal. Yes, I know it is not yet illegal, but many likely think it is. Some likely think it is harmful; it can be if they brick their device.

BTW, rooting might once again become illegal. Depends on the LOC and the Liberians decision. Or am I behind the curve?.

Anyway, Cricket offers most phones with native tethering capabilities. Just 10.00 extra per month which is probably less cost than other carriers. I tried it with my iPad and I love the service. Quite a cost savings.

 

[Speed Daemon]

Apple wants to move Macs away from Intel chips - report

If Apple does - that would mean bye-bye MS Office, too wouldn't it?

Apple started out using other CPU architectures. Apple spent a lot of money promoting the idea that those different things somehow made the Mac better. Apple nearly went broke. There's a very good reason why Apple is now using the standard Compaq PC architecture for the Mac. I don't think they can afford to go back.

The article fails to mention that ARM technology is licensed by Apple and others; it's not Apple's property. Likewise Apple's only ARM SoC chip maker, Samsung, has at least as much power over Apple as Motorola once had. The bottom line is that there is no such thing as "its own ARM processors" for Apple.

If Apple starts making notebooks with ARM CPUs inside, it will be because Linux and Android paved the way for "me too" companies like Apple to play follow the leader.

Now that Microsoft has dropped all support for other CPU architectures, it looks unlikely that a comparable full version of MS Office for ARM will be released.

 

[zuben el genub]

Didn't Palm have an ARM processor, too?

What about the cloud? If the world runs on MS Office, Apple is going to have to give somewhere again - if you can run Office through a browser, but then, MS might just demand IE again. Adobe is starting to work that way - you don't get the software, just the access.

There are also too many Windows only programs. Machine embroidery digitizing and customizing is notorious. Mac only got programs recently. Otherwise, Mac users had to use Parallels or whatever.

About rooting - friends think I'm nuts or too techy. They couldn't be bothered to learn anything about their phones. One only wants access to Ebay, some like social sites.
You don't have to root to at least get some basic knowledge. 2 keep complaining about updates from Sprint - I asked if Sprint had updated them to ICS. They had no idea. They have never looked under settings.

 

[Drhyde]

I am not so sure about that. Most people have lives and they do not know about rooting or how bad Apple is or how much this or that is good or bad. They do know it is illegal. Yes, I know it is not yet illegal, but many likely think it is. Some likely think it is harmful; it can be if they brick their device.

BTW, rooting might once again become illegal. Depends on the LOC and the Liberians decision. Or am I behind the curve?.

Anyway, Cricket offers most phones with native tethering capabilities. Just 10.00 extra per month which is probably less cost than other carriers. I tried it with my iPad and I love the service. Quite a cost savings.

Rooting illegal? Highly doubt it. What's more likely to happen is the end of tethering charges. Verizon was already slapped for trying to charge tethering fees on their 700 MHz band spectrum even after they agreed specifically not to. America is one of the few places that charges tethering fees anyhow. Most cell companies in Europe and other places have moved to a more flat rate policy. We are getting there as evidenced by less emphasis on minutes and text instead we are getting more focused on data. I don't think you should be charged for tethering with you have a limited pool of data anyway. I also think it should be illegal to charge for the same data twice. Alas, that's another discussion entirely.

As far as Apple, aren't they being investigated for anti-trust violations pertaining to e-books and attempting to price fix them?

 

[Bob Maxey]

Rooting illegal? Highly doubt it.

(SNIP A TAD)

As far as Apple, aren't they being investigated for anti-trust violations pertaining to e-books and attempting to price fix them?

Apple twice wanted jaibreaking ruled illegal and the LOC determined the process was NOT illegal; it did not violate Apple's copyrights as Apple contended. Twice.

This LOC decision was the official ruling that cleared the way for jailbreaking and rooting.

Apple feared IP violations and a few other things the LOC determined were not serious issues.

The ruling was not a permanent ruling and the LOC will once again take a look and determine if Jailbreaking and Rooting will remain legal or not. Additionally, the ruling did not remove Apples right to charge customers for repairs. And the general consensus is, Apple will not go after jailbreakers.

Finally, the ruling did not apply to iPads because they did not exist at the time.

 

[kevincott]

Apple twice wanted jaibreaking ruled illegal and the LOC determined the process was NOT illegal; it did not violate Apple's copyrights as Apple contended. Twice.

This LOC decision was the official ruling that cleared the way for jailbreaking and rooting.

Apple feared IP violations and a few other things the LOC determined were not serious issues.

The ruling was not a permanent ruling and the LOC will once again take a look and determine if Jailbreaking and Rooting will remain legal or not. Additionally, the ruling did not remove Apples right to charge customers for repairs. And the general consensus is, Apple will not go after jailbreakers.

Finally, the ruling did not apply to iPads because they did not exist at the time.

Apple initiated a questionable lawsuit? Huh, must be the first time.

 

[kevincott]

I am not so sure about that. Most people have lives and they do not know about rooting or how bad Apple is or how much this or that is good or bad. They do know it is illegal. Yes, I know it is not yet illegal, but many likely think it is. Some likely think it is harmful; it can be if they brick their device.

Agreed.