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Why are you people defending Apple?

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Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#161

Post by andyman1080 »

coffeedrinker wrote: post #8
InclinedPlane wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now everyone should know, if they didn't before, why Apple is no Microsoft. Apple isn't content to create a platform, they want to own everything. They want a walled garden, they want captive users, they want to be able to demand exorbitant profit margins in perpetuity. Mostly benign monarchies may seem very attractive at first glance, but over time abuse of power is inevitable and then it's too late.

I wonder how much content will end up simply as web apps and web sites and then it won't matter what platform the end user chooses. I've changed my focus from iOS to web because of Apple's policies.

good luck with that.

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#162

Post by gst »

darren_ wrote: post #37
Bossman wrote: post #2

And people wonder why I hate the walled approach Apple takes. The article makes another great point about people not being able to leave iOS devices for a competitor because all their music, movies, apps, etc are in Apple's DRM format and won't transfer to other devices. Apple deserves to have control over their own platform, but this is getting a little crazy. The extra fee wouldn't be so bad if developers could inc…

> all their music, movies, apps, etc are in Apple's DRM format and won't transfer to other devices. Music on iOS devices isn't DRMed and hasn't been for some time. If your new device can't play m4a files this is a separate issue and you can transcode them just like if you had a pile of drm-free WMAs. Apps are DRMed but even if they weren't it'd be irrelevant unless a WINE-analogue for iOS came about (and consider the…

"I can't move an Android app onto my iPhone either, despite its lack of DRM, and whether the blocker is legal or technical is irrelevant."

That's actually Apple's fault too. There is an Android runtime for iOS (http://www.xmlvm.org/android/). However, as far as I understand Apple's store rules, such a runtime must not be used for applications.

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#163

Post by [deleted] »

lotusleaf1987 wrote: post #154
chc wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, fighting a monopoly is often a losing proposition. This is already well-known. Ask Netscape. Does the fact that Apple's appeal comes from its monopoly position somehow make its actions less of a shakedown?

|Yes, fighting a monopoly is often a losing proposition Do you even know what a monopoly is? Because based off your comment I don't think you do. "In economics, a monopoly (from Greek monos / μονος (alone or single) + polein / πωλειν (to sell)) exists when a specific individual or an enterprise has sufficient control over a particular product or service to determine significantly the terms on which other individuals…

[deleted]

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#164

Post by darren_ »

gst wrote: post #162
darren_ wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> all their music, movies, apps, etc are in Apple's DRM format and won't transfer to other devices. Music on iOS devices isn't DRMed and hasn't been for some time. If your new device can't play m4a files this is a separate issue and you can transcode them just like if you had a pile of drm-free WMAs. Apps are DRMed but even if they weren't it'd be irrelevant unless a WINE-analogue for iOS came about (and consider the…

"I can't move an Android app onto my iPhone either, despite its lack of DRM, and whether the blocker is legal or technical is irrelevant." That's actually Apple's fault too. There is an Android runtime for iOS ( http://www.xmlvm.org/android/ ). However, as far as I understand Apple's store rules, such a runtime must not be used for applications.

Actually that's a cross compiler, and products made with it are almost certainly allowed on the appstore (I actually worked on a J2ME->iPhone cross compiler in 2008 when the appstore rules were even stricter, and products using our compiler were allowed on the appstore (though we were living in constant fear, back in those days it was much more ambiguous)). It's only useful if you've got the source for your android application, at which point you can recompile it into an iPhone app. It doesn't run a 'bare' android app.

If an actual Java runtime was made though, that would be banned.

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#165

Post by profitbaron »

marze wrote: post #122

I imagine the decision at Apple went something like this: We can always go from 30% to 10% later, and all publicity is good publicity, so go for it.

Additionally, it will also make the lower margin appear reasonable to developers etc, meaning Apple have given themselves a new revenue stream AND developers aren't that annoyed as they currently are at this 30% rate.

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#166

Post by profitbaron »

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.

Not everyone is tech-friendly and acceptable to new technology they see some things, as intrusive etc which is why certain platforms couldn't have existed in the earlier stages of the Internet etc hence, they are less likely to move over to a new platform because they are familiar with it and know where everything is.

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#167

Post by InclinedPlane »

bonch wrote: post #141
InclinedPlane wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now everyone should know, if they didn't before, why Apple is no Microsoft. Apple isn't content to create a platform, they want to own everything. They want a walled garden, they want captive users, they want to be able to demand exorbitant profit margins in perpetuity. Mostly benign monarchies may seem very attractive at first glance, but over time abuse of power is inevitable and then it's too late.

Apple doesn't want to own everything. They're happy being the BMW of tech and generate massive profits. Comparing this situation to monarchies and abuses of power is stupid. It's just an in-app subscription model for a mobile OS that nobody is being forced to use.

Not all monarchies are bad, but most eventually turn worse. That's where the comparison to the iPhone platform is relevant. Apple has a lot of control over the platform, and so far people haven't been overly concerned about that. But over time people may start to realize that Apple is not as benevolent a company as they've been led to believe.

Yes, people can go elsewhere. And I think that's precisely what will happen. Apple has had the lead in mobile app development as a platform up until now, but their restrictive and short-sighted rules and policies may very well sap much of that momentum.

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#168

Post by Natsu »

davidu wrote: post #51
burgerbrain wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know you, and haven't conversed with you, so I can't speak for how you support Apple. I simply oppose people who will defend any action, no matter how absurd, because they support the people behind that action in most other cases. You'll see all sorts of gymnastics used to justify it, but it really boils down to people supporting things they wouldn't normally, were they outside of context of their 'affiliatio…

I don't think I was hiding the fact that a big part of my Apple support comes equally from my distrust of Google than my love of Apple. I just look at the wreckage each has created and would pick Apple's wreckage over Google's any day. I'm a bit surprised that people find my position to be unusual. I think it represents reasonable behavior. But I often feel this way on HN. :-/

I would honestly like to know what "wreckage" Google has created? Granted, I probably haven't experienced the most likely types (domain gets a penalty, webmaster doesn't understand how to fix it, or that sort of thing). Most of the time, they spend their days trying to make information open and accessible to everyone, which I love.

In contrast, given the chance, Apple would control everything I do on my computer and charge me for it. No doubt that computer would be beautiful and it would work very well, but I prefer to manage on my own.

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#169

Post by Natsu »

mambodog wrote: post #147
coffeedrinker wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, not everything can be a web app, but a lot of the subscription world can easily be ported to web app, since the content will likely be delivered in HTML.

Unless they want any kind of DRM.

Why would you need DRM for a web app with a subscription model?

Re: Why are you people defending Apple?

#170

Post by loewenskind »

potatolicious wrote: post #119
lotusleaf1987 wrote: post #16

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…

Your argument only works in the context of someone like Rhapsody, who is a pretty bare-bones wrapper on top of content. But consider services like last.fm, Netflix, or Pandora - where there is a significant value-add on top of merely distributing content. They are providing consumers a valuable service but yet also cannot afford the steep cut that Apple is now demanding. The "they're distributors and deserve to get c…

If last.fm, etc. are providing so much value why are their margins so thin? Are they providing value less than 30% of the cost of the base product?
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