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Steve Jobs Has Just Gone Mad

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Re: Steve Jobs Has Just Gone Mad

#211

Post by IgorPartola »

hartror wrote: post #210
ryanhuff wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does that really matter? If I sold chocolate covered bagels, and I was the only chocolate covered bagel store in town, do I have to serve you? Or, if you wanted to open your own chocolate covered bagel store in the only mall within 30 miles, does the mall operator have to lease you space? As a developer, I find the situation painful, but I think Apple views the appstore as their mall, and they want to control the…

Sure they can do what they like on the iPhone (within the grounds of the law) but we don't have to like it. And how does this change have anything to do with customer experience when they already vet customer experience when the app is submitted?

It's their sandbox, they can do what they want. Just like you can choose whether to play in it or not.

Re: Steve Jobs Has Just Gone Mad

#212

Post by robryan »

Problem is with the app store is that a number of developers could reject these changes and decide to develop elsewhere, but instead of improving the situation on other platforms it would probably just be that the remaining app store developers would be now getting a bigger piece of the pie.

I think there is an incentive for developers to turn a blind eye to some of the more crazy apple app store policies because if people leave it benefits them and there is no viable alternative at the moment for someone wanting to make a living selling mobile applications.

Re: Steve Jobs Has Just Gone Mad

#213

Post by stavrianos »

michael_dorfman wrote: post #95
stcredzero wrote: post #8

Summary: If you need to "originally" write your code in Swahili, while listening to Milli Vanilli, while reclining in a patch of mud, and then you need fifty oompa loompas to translate the Swahili into C, that is none of Steve Jobs f#ck^ng business.

And Steve's response, I imagine would be: if you want to sell your app in my store, it's my business. If you don't like my rules, develop for a different platform. Seriously: if Barnes and Noble decides it only wants to sell fiction by authors whose last names begin with "Q", wouldn't we just consider it a bone-headed move, and not the cause for moral outrage? The iPhone is not the only smartphone on the market, and…

How about if Barnes and Noble decides it only wants to sell fiction by authors whose skin is of a certain shade?

Re: Steve Jobs Has Just Gone Mad

#214

Post by allenp »

aboodman wrote: post #180
michael_dorfman wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But the mandate only applies if you want to sell the app in their store. Steve's not telling you how to write your code. He's telling you how to write code if you want him to sell it for you to his customers.

His customers? I think application developers are most used to thinking of users as _their_ customers. But you're right, that is clearly not what Steve is thinking.

The disconnect between the developer and customer is huge in the app store. Everything is skewed towards the customer having no relationship except with Apple. The deployment model, the communication channel, updates, everything goes through Apple. There have been a lot of blog posts (not sure of other sources) written about how to bridge this gap and connect with customers. I think in a lot of ways this is the same battle the TV networks are having with Hulu. Just like Hulu wants to be The Channel, Apple wants to be your one stop media and entertainment stop, and content producers are just anonymous and a dime a dozen.

Re: Steve Jobs Has Just Gone Mad

#215

Post by kpanghmc »

commieneko wrote: post #209
kpanghmc wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can be both insane AND within your rights. Nobody is disputing the legality of what Apple is doing. What they are disputing is how stupid/insane/ridiculous Apple is by doing it. Please feel free to cite some examples of people saying it's illegal for Apple to do this. You won't find any, because that's not the argument at hand. There's a difference between complaining about something and saying that it's illegal.

Please feel free to cite where I said anyone was saying it was illegal. The closest thing I can find to that is where I said: "It is acceptable for Apple to sell its hardware/software under any kind license that it wants to, as long as it isn't illegal." I was a top level post in this thread, responding to the article. Go read the article and then go and read my top post. The topic here is "Is Apple Insane." (Answer:…

"This is about whether Apple is insane or within their rights to do what they did."

Re: Steve Jobs Has Just Gone Mad

#216

Post by jpark »

"Today, we celebrate the first glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directives. We have created for the first time in all history, a garden of pure ideology. Where each worker may bloom secure from the pests of contradictory and confusing truths. Our Unification of Thoughts is more powerful a weapon than any fleet or army on earth. We are one people, with one will, one resolve, one cause. Our enemies shall talk themselves to death and we will bury them with their own confusion. We shall prevail!"

How far we've come.

Re: Steve Jobs Has Just Gone Mad

#217

Post by commieneko »

kpanghmc wrote: post #215
commieneko wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please feel free to cite where I said anyone was saying it was illegal. The closest thing I can find to that is where I said: "It is acceptable for Apple to sell its hardware/software under any kind license that it wants to, as long as it isn't illegal." I was a top level post in this thread, responding to the article. Go read the article and then go and read my top post. The topic here is "Is Apple Insane." (Answer:…

"This is about whether Apple is insane or within their rights to do what they did."

So in other words, you can't and don't intend to address the topic at hand. bye bye...

Re: Steve Jobs Has Just Gone Mad

#218

Post by aerique »

ryanhuff wrote: post #170
aerique wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But if you don't want to jailbreak your phone there aren't many other stores to choose from for the iPhone, are there?

Why does that really matter? If I sold chocolate covered bagels, and I was the only chocolate covered bagel store in town, do I have to serve you? Or, if you wanted to open your own chocolate covered bagel store in the only mall within 30 miles, does the mall operator have to lease you space? As a developer, I find the situation painful, but I think Apple views the appstore as their mall, and they want to control the…

Depending on the country your store is in: yes, you would have to serve me unless you have a very good reason not to (like I'm a returning thief or troublemaker).

Re: Steve Jobs Has Just Gone Mad

#219

Post by fauigerzigerk »

pedalpete wrote: post #159
fauigerzigerk wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you are largely right, but don't forget that this pragmatic business view of the world does not dominate every phase in every hacker's life. Apple would be well advised to take note of the emotional sea change that helped sweep IBM and later Microsoft from their all powerful positions. Being hated is not a good position to be in for anyone, regardless of how powerful they may be at one point in time.

Was it Microsofts business practices that brought it down a few notches? or was it their lack of quality products? Currently, business decision makers are likely looking at the market penetration/mindshare of iPhone vs Android. However, in the coming months, I suspect we'll see a few points which steer businesses away from the iPhone. 1)you'll be able to develop apps to run on Android, WinMo 7, RIM and Palm, all like…

I think the main cause for Microsoft's weakened position is the web. Their core products are high quality in my view, but they just never wholeheartedly embraced the web. Neither technologically nor in terms of the business model. Fighting the web moved them from being seen as a freedom fighter against IBM to the position of a ceaselessly scheming oppressor that keeps inventing new ways of ruining the fun for the tinkerers.

They have alienated an entire generation of hackers and that's why in spite of all the money that can be made on their platform the interesting stuff happens elsewhere. Apple is on route to follow them, once the hype around their glitzy fashion items subsides.

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