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You Paid $1k for an iPhone, but Apple Still Controls It

nytimes.com

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Re: You Paid $1k for an iPhone, but Apple Still Controls It

#131

Post by thesuperbigfrog »

NoboruWataya wrote: post #101
JadeNB wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I generally trust Apple. Why? I can't imagine any kind of real trust relationship except with individual developers or small shops who can be responsive to individual customers. I certainly trust Apple more than Microsoft, but I can't imagine any situation in which I'd say I trusted them (or any other megacorp) in an unqualified sense.

Flipping the question around, what exactly are you worried they will do? I'm on your "side" on this in that I dislike closed ecosystems, spyware and not having control over my own devices. But I am not in tech and the vast majority of people I know don't care about this and likely never will, and every year that goes by without Apple remotely bricking their phone with no recourse only strengthens their apathy. Trust…

>> "The user controls the program or the program controls the user" is a false dichotomy to people who spend most of their time in the real world.

It is not a false dichotomy: Apple controls who gets to use iPhones and what they get to do on iPhones.

Can someone use an iPhone without an Apple account? If Apple were to lock or ban a user's Apple account, what could the user do about it?

Can someone run arbitrary software of their choice on an iPhone?

>> You can accept that Apple's incentives don't align perfectly with yours while being comfortable that they align enough that Apple will provide you with the service you're looking for.

Yes, but for how long and under what conditions? How willing are people to change when they are locked-in to the Apple ecosystem?

Re: You Paid $1k for an iPhone, but Apple Still Controls It

#132

Post by jwells89 »

hotnfresh wrote: post #83
Krasnol wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is SO WEIRD. I've seen this happen so many times around these discussions on HN: There is a valid argument in the source. There is discussion around the argument. There is some proof, there are political discussions. Etc. everything totally normal. But then there is this ONE comment. Usually just one: Anecdotal evidence to spread FUD. And it's up above all that usually discussion. Where is this coming from? Is t…

Nah, it’s the kind of experiences you expect in a low-regulation market. You either pay a premium—beyond what would be justified if “defector” manufacturers and vendors weren’t a factor, i.e. if effectively-enforced regulations were mandating a higher quality floor—to a vendor with a good reputation you expect them to want to maintain, or you pay in expertise and time-cost. If you don’t pay in one of those two ways,…

It’s a bit surprising to me how little regulation there is concerning the quality of replacement electronics parts, especially those that handle power (battery, power delivery) which can be very dangerous when the wrong corners are cut.

Re: You Paid $1k for an iPhone, but Apple Still Controls It

#133

Post by jqpabc123 »

jbverschoor wrote: post #127

You paid 4M for your home of land, but are still subject to regulations of the country. It’s your home, but you’re not even allowed to run a nuclear reactor in your garden.

Really? You are seriously going to compare repairing your iPhone with a threat to people's lives in your neighborhood and beyond? Your analogy is a bust --- the only thing threatened by repairing your iPhone is Apple's profits.

How did you ever get to this point? Did Apple infect you with some sort of mind virus?

Re: You Paid $1k for an iPhone, but Apple Still Controls It

#134

Post by Loggias »

clircle wrote: post #29

Hmm, not sure if the data in the article is correct. I replaced the battery in my SE 2020, there is no persistent warning, but i can no longer check battery health

Yeah, I’ve been replacing parts on and repairing iPhones for 15 years now; more of a hobby and fixing stuff for friends.

The battery is simple to replace even on the newest phones. Sure there’s a warning about non apple part that will show up but eventually subside. And that is only if you don’t swap the BMS module from the original to the new one. Any reputable shop should know to do this and have the skills required to desolder and resolder 2 connections…

Re: You Paid $1k for an iPhone, but Apple Still Controls It

#135

Post by cantSpellSober »

This article is about "parts pairing"

> Parts don't work as expected when swapped with the same working part from an identical, new iPhone

> The rate at which parts can cause breakdowns has been rising about 20 percent a year since 2016, when only one repair caused a problem

(seems like most commenters just read the headline)

Re: You Paid $1k for an iPhone, but Apple Still Controls It

#136

Post by mwint »

thesuperbigfrog wrote: post #89
paulcole wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My iPhone works really well and I generally trust Apple. So I’m 100% fine with someone else controlling it.

>> My iPhone works really well and I generally trust Apple. So I’m 100% fine with someone else controlling it. The reality is that most people are choosing to let Apple or Google control their mobile devices. From what I have read, most free / libre smartphones are not ready for consumer use. Are there are any "good enough for grandma" libre smartphones?

One of my “good enough for Grandma” criteria is that she can’t click on a link in a Facebook post promising nine million Candy Crush points for installing an exfiltrate-all-the-data app from some App Store alternative.

Re: You Paid $1k for an iPhone, but Apple Still Controls It

#137

Post by makeitdouble »

nottorp wrote: post #70
elcomet wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is why it makes no sense to say "Chinese" to mean low quality

The Chinese will make a part exactly as good as you pay them to make it.

I'm having a hard time trying to find a country with a reputation of consistently underpricing their electronics parts.

Perhaps one would do that to get its name on the map as a newcomer, but soon enough investments need to be repaid and the prices would naturally raise up to match the increase in reputation and pad the margins.

Re: You Paid $1k for an iPhone, but Apple Still Controls It

#138

Post by cantSpellSober »

jbverschoor wrote: post #127

You paid 4M for your home of land, but are still subject to regulations of the country. It’s your home, but you’re not even allowed to run a nuclear reactor in your garden.

Same comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38240503

An incredibly poor analogy for the subject of the article, at least that comment didn't take it to the level of "nuclear reactor"

Re: You Paid $1k for an iPhone, but Apple Still Controls It

#139

Post by mwint »

luuurker wrote: post #44
RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #4

This control severely limits the utility of stolen iPhones, which is a good thing for me as an iPhone owner. There are other phones that consumers can choose that don’t have this pairing. But this pairing of parts is one of the reasons people choose and iPhone.

No one ever stole my phone, but I had everything from broken displays to dead batteries, so at least in my case this is not good for me as a owner.

Textbook confounded reasoning: it’s possible no one stole your phone _because_ they’ve been made such undesirable targets for theft.

Re: You Paid $1k for an iPhone, but Apple Still Controls It

#140

Post by mwint »

2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #128
RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #4

This control severely limits the utility of stolen iPhones, which is a good thing for me as an iPhone owner. There are other phones that consumers can choose that don’t have this pairing. But this pairing of parts is one of the reasons people choose and iPhone.

Theft is a boogeyman that allows Apple absolute control over their devices. Why is theft Apple's problem rather than law enforcement? Should cars require a password too? Why don't we make all consumer goods require a password so that theft can be a thing of the past!

Law enforcement (and prosecutors) are increasingly unconcerned with theft of “small” amounts, and theft by groups of people they’ve decided to stop prosecuting.

I’m happy that Apple isn’t just saying “meh, not our problem”, and it’s one reason I buy their stuff.

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