Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why are you people defending Apple?

techcrunch.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 228 posts

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#11

Post by chc »

davidu wrote: post #9

Comments all removed. The parent asked why I defend apple and I laid out my argument. Clearly people cared enough to respond and react. And yet I'm being downvoted for sharing my perspective just because it might be contrarian? Maybe that's /not/ why I'm being downvoted, but that's what it feels like to me. So no thanks. I'm content to keep my opinions to myself.

You defend Apple because Apple is good at generating profits for large, entrenched industries at the expense of users? That's an unusual stance.

Also, which industries are you thinking of where the employees do not use some Google service or another every day? Even industries where I hear people constantly cursing Google often get a lot of value from their offerings.

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#12

Post by daleharvey »

davidu wrote: post #9

Comments all removed. The parent asked why I defend apple and I laid out my argument. Clearly people cared enough to respond and react. And yet I'm being downvoted for sharing my perspective just because it might be contrarian? Maybe that's /not/ why I'm being downvoted, but that's what it feels like to me. So no thanks. I'm content to keep my opinions to myself.

Apart from some of those examples being incredibly tenuous (personal computing), and the concept of defending companies position on one thing because you like its decisions elsewhere being kinda scary.

But Google has had that impact on the entire web, both by providing visibility and a revenue stream via advertising.

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#13

Post by coffeedrinker »

myhf wrote: post #10
coffeedrinker wrote: post #3

They are trying to force content producers to work exclusively with Apple. I can up the cost to the end user _as long as I stay only with Apple_. Once I move my product to a second competing device, then it really hurts profit because the price has to stay the same. Once they become the exclusive provider, then they continue to dominate the market, regardless of what other tablets and operating systems come along.

Why does the price have to stay the same between platforms?

That is one of Apple's requirements. Whatever you sell somewhere else, it has to be the same price or cheaper at Apple.

You cannot charge more on iOS to compensate for Apple's 30% cut (which I think is rather high for subscriptions).

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#14

Post by nooneelse »

coffeedrinker wrote: post #3

They are trying to force content producers to work exclusively with Apple. I can up the cost to the end user _as long as I stay only with Apple_. Once I move my product to a second competing device, then it really hurts profit because the price has to stay the same. Once they become the exclusive provider, then they continue to dominate the market, regardless of what other tablets and operating systems come along.

Actually having the same content/product sold through both Apple and somewhere else is an interesting case. Between the two distribution channels, in which do you put your R&D or advertising dollar when channel Apple returns 30% less per customer gained there versus channel other?

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#15

Post by Prolorn »

davidu wrote: post #9

Comments all removed. The parent asked why I defend apple and I laid out my argument. Clearly people cared enough to respond and react. And yet I'm being downvoted for sharing my perspective just because it might be contrarian? Maybe that's /not/ why I'm being downvoted, but that's what it feels like to me. So no thanks. I'm content to keep my opinions to myself.

We can laud the achievements Apple has accomplished without refraining from criticism where they fall short. Furthermore, even taking what you say for granted, these past achievements do not validate the approach Apple is taking today with their new in-app subscriptions policy.

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#16

Post by lotusleaf1987 »

Zach said it best yesterday: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2224469

Of course Rhapsody can't sell their stuff for a 30% margin. It's not their own stuff!

They're trying to be the last link in a chain of 90/10 (or more) splits. They repackage record labels' repackaging of artists' content. Do you think the artists would find 30% economically untenable?

The App Store is 70/30 because Apple can take things straight from content producer to customer. When the Apple takes the place of publishing, distribution, inventory, sales, payments and shipping, there's real value for that 30%.

When all someone wants out of Apple is merely to process the payment and send things down the pipe, gee, who do they think they are? But that's not what Apple is actually holding themselves out as. Apple doesn't want to be in that kind of commodity market anyway. Seems reasonable to me.

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#17

Post by davidu »

daleharvey wrote: post #12
davidu wrote: post #9

Comments all removed. The parent asked why I defend apple and I laid out my argument. Clearly people cared enough to respond and react. And yet I'm being downvoted for sharing my perspective just because it might be contrarian? Maybe that's /not/ why I'm being downvoted, but that's what it feels like to me. So no thanks. I'm content to keep my opinions to myself.

Apart from some of those examples being incredibly tenuous (personal computing), and the concept of defending companies position on one thing because you like its decisions elsewhere being kinda scary. But Google has had that impact on the entire web, both by providing visibility and a revenue stream via advertising.

Comments all removed.

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#18

Post by zppx »

davidu wrote: post #9

Comments all removed. The parent asked why I defend apple and I laid out my argument. Clearly people cared enough to respond and react. And yet I'm being downvoted for sharing my perspective just because it might be contrarian? Maybe that's /not/ why I'm being downvoted, but that's what it feels like to me. So no thanks. I'm content to keep my opinions to myself.

That is a false dichotomy, Apple vs. Google. I think it's a poor way of trying to make sense of the situation. Keep in mind that the word "Google" is not even cited in the link.

There's no need to defend every one of Apple's decisions, sometimes people do stuff that sucks, or even brings Google to the discussion just to defend Apple.

EDIT: That said, your points were good, I liked the articulation of your comment, I upvoted you.

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#19

Post by chc »

neutronicus wrote: post #6

"And finally, there’s the related notion that anyone who doesn’t like Apple’s rules can pick up and move to another platform, like Android. Which is ridiculous." What? Ridiculous how? This claim is ridiculous. Suck it up and use Android. You'll live. I did.

Abandoning your users and moving to a platform where there's little money to be made is a questionable proposition for producers. And a lot of users will have second thoughts about moving to a platform they perceive to be distinctly inferior just because Apple are being dicks.

Also, as a reminder in case you live in a country where it isn't so: Contracts prevent most of Apple's customers from jumping platforms, and sunk costs in iOS apps tighten the lock-in.

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#20

Post by davidu »

Prolorn wrote: post #15
davidu wrote: post #9

Comments all removed. The parent asked why I defend apple and I laid out my argument. Clearly people cared enough to respond and react. And yet I'm being downvoted for sharing my perspective just because it might be contrarian? Maybe that's /not/ why I'm being downvoted, but that's what it feels like to me. So no thanks. I'm content to keep my opinions to myself.

We can laud the achievements Apple has accomplished without refraining from criticism where they fall short. Furthermore, even taking what you say for granted, these past achievements do not validate the approach Apple is taking today with their new in-app subscriptions policy.

Comments all removed.
Post reply on HN