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Tim Cook's response to Android texting compatibility: 'buy your mom an iPhone'

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Re: Tim Cook's response to Android texting compatibility: 'buy your mom an iPhone'

#71

Thankfully, shit like this will soon be illegal in the EU when the Digital Markets Act hits. Hopefully they'll plug all the loopholes and actually enforce it. I don't understand how anyone can defend business practices like this, which are exclusively there for the purpose of platform lock-in.

What will be illegal, exactly? There is actually nothing stopping iPhones from communicating with Android phones. iMessage, a proprietary messaging app, colors data messages blue and SMS messages green for the user's benefit. There is an entire world of messaging apps that aren't iMessage. The main gripe from Android users seems to be a mere social issue.

Also, isn't it my understanding that in EU most people use other messaging apps already?

Re: Tim Cook's response to Android texting compatibility: 'buy your mom an iPhone'

#72
post #50

Ha! This is actually sound advice though. My mother needs a phone and left to her own devices her friends of the same age would probably convince her to buy a cheap Android (which would end up frustrating her eventually), or she just wouldn’t even buy a phone at all. So I buy her phones. I pay for her service, and I pay for AppleCare, some peripherals and other services that make it useful. It’s the least I could do…

> My mother needs a phone and left to her own devices her friends of the same age would probably convince her to buy a cheap Android (which would end up frustrating her eventually), or she just wouldn’t even buy a phone at all.

My parents do that. Have plenty of money but just can't bring themselves to spend more than ~$300 on a phone. And, to be fair, if they spent double or even triple that but still bought Android they're correct that it wouldn't be an improvement, since the UI's the main problem.

> So I buy her phones.

Having watched my parents' experience over the years, I assure you you're doing the right thing.

Re: Tim Cook's response to Android texting compatibility: 'buy your mom an iPhone'

#73
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I started with a first-generation iPhone to replace a series of Palm Treos, and have had various iPhones since then. I've tried a few Android devices, and felt like the interface was more confusing. I'm sure I could learn it with putting in some time, but maybe it's largely a matter of what one is used to?

This was a big issue for me. I got a galaxy S3 when it came out to replace my iPhone, and it was a pretty miserable experience. Way too much need for customization, very few preinstalled apps, and really the device just became a time suck and using it. I don’t want my phone to require a lot of my time. The iPhone has been really great at doing what I need it to do, without absorbing my time tweaking, or learning. It…

I personally consider "very few preinstalled apps" a big plus! Uninstalling useless apps (if they are even uninstallable) is always a drag.

To each it's own I guess...

Re: Tim Cook's response to Android texting compatibility: 'buy your mom an iPhone'

#74

Thankfully, shit like this will soon be illegal in the EU when the Digital Markets Act hits. Hopefully they'll plug all the loopholes and actually enforce it. I don't understand how anyone can defend business practices like this, which are exclusively there for the purpose of platform lock-in.

This is a non-issue in a lot of EU countries where people use WhatsApp for everything.

Re: Tim Cook's response to Android texting compatibility: 'buy your mom an iPhone'

#75

Thankfully, shit like this will soon be illegal in the EU when the Digital Markets Act hits. Hopefully they'll plug all the loopholes and actually enforce it. I don't understand how anyone can defend business practices like this, which are exclusively there for the purpose of platform lock-in.

because this one is happenstance

I like the EU using their market position to remedy this

But aside from that it doesn't reach an antitrust issue because Apple didnt need to do anything, the people chose to associate the unencrypted message with Android and a perceived inferiority - and nobody actually cares that RCS got implemented to supersede SMS and MMS at some random time over the last decade

Re: Tim Cook's response to Android texting compatibility: 'buy your mom an iPhone'

#76

The lack of interoperability is strictly illegal since it's being leveraged to expand Apple's already formidable market power (using market power to extend market power is the strictly illegal part) by pushing people to buy an iphone. Cook can hardly deny that's a conscious thought at Apple, 'cause he just said the quiet part out loud. FRO - IINAL but I do know "monopoly" is not the correct term in law, "market power…

Well not yet, but the EU is working on it; The Digital Markets Act states that major messaging services must be interoperable. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/nl/press-room/20220315IP...

So by this act, should I be able to send a Twitter DM to your phone number if you don't have a Twitter account? What does interoperability mean here? Can I send Instagram messages from my Signal app?

Re: Tim Cook's response to Android texting compatibility: 'buy your mom an iPhone'

#77

Tried an iPhone for a month when my Samsung S21 went in for repair. The perceived sheer lack of features and big UX gaps and missing features instantly made me profoundly dislike iPhone. Just my opinion.

The back button is so engrained in my use of my phone now I honestly can't consider another way of using a phone anymore. Reaching across the phone to the other side (for righties) or hitting a manual button, or even the double tap on the back, just can't compare to the ease of hitting back on Android.

Re: Tim Cook's response to Android texting compatibility: 'buy your mom an iPhone'

#78
post #44

I switched to iPhone a while ago and while, for me, it was a worthwhile compromise to get my data away from Google while still getting a reliable appliance-like (rather than science-project-like) phone, the text entry system is pretty bad.

What do you miss from the Android text experience?

Re: Tim Cook's response to Android texting compatibility: 'buy your mom an iPhone'

#79
post #63

There is a solution to the problem of sending videos or collections of photos via SMS from iPhone to Android: go to a video, and click 'copy iCloud link'. Send the link to the Android user, and it's an easy process to download the full resolution file. I have a family member who refuses to use Apple products out of principle and this is a convenient workaround.

Or using a chat app of some sort. I was surprised that in USA sms is still used.

Re: Tim Cook's response to Android texting compatibility: 'buy your mom an iPhone'

#80

Tried an iPhone for a month when my Samsung S21 went in for repair. The perceived sheer lack of features and big UX gaps and missing features instantly made me profoundly dislike iPhone. Just my opinion.

UX gaps? Are you talking about android? The UX is highly inconsistent in vanilla android let alone across apps…

How is that a bad thing? I remember android 2.x apps having the coolest UIs, nowadays android apps all use the same boring material design components. You can still find some 2.x apps on the play store though, they're a refreshing blast from the past.

Websites still have a bit of originality, given the vast variety of UI frameworks (and now canvas apps allow for even more versatility).

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