Proton joins suit against Apple for practices that harm developers and consumers

No, they are general purpose computers that can also work as cellphones.

The first iPhone technically wasn't a smartphone (unlike its competitors at the time) because it did not have a way to install third-party programs. This situation only lasted a year though.

It did have a pre-installed Google Maps app, very much not a toy...

And don't game consoles typically come out bundled with some first party games too ?

>Is the problem really an inability to vote with our wallets? Or is the problem a complete lack of media/marketing literacy, that leads the credulous to engage with ad slop, against their own best interests?

The problem is companies/marketers who won't take no for an answer... And unfortunately, short of reverse monetization, (marketers must pay individuals for our eyeballs, which has its own logistical problems), there isn't a way to really prevent the pathological impression pipeline that advertising has gravitated toward. In the U.S. unfortunately, there is zero we can do to corral mercantile speech short of collectively coordinated action by the populace since we've written the capability out of our governmental edifice.

A) it’s not irrelevant at all. Perhaps you don’t do web design, or perhaps you restrict your designs to functionality Apple doesn’t actively or passively prohibit.

Then you might not be aware that Apple does not support everything other browsers support. Or takes longer to support some things.

The internet has two ends (at least), media source and media user. Both ends require compatible software for any connection to work or work fully.

B) Of course I omit other irrelevant issues. No need for argumentative non-points.

A suggestion that would help me understand you better:

Instead of simply dismissing points out of hand, respond with reasoned thoughts.

Maybe you have a sensible viewpoint?

I have no issue learning from you.

If you can communicate how Apple blocking alternate browser engines doesn’t actually block other browser’s additional web functionality, please explain your work around.

I would appreciate any solution you have. So would many others.

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Apple also prohibits (via there App Store) non-browser apps based on how they use the Internet. So that’s additional gate keeping of Internet functionalit.

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Read Apple’s App Store guidelines for developers. Apple is up front and clear about all these restrictions and prohibitions.

I am lost as to what you are trying to claim they allow, that they openly document they don’t allow.

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Perhaps you have confused internet functionality with Internet addresses.

Indeed, Apple doesn’t block IPs.

But some kind of software at both ends is still required to communicate across the Internet. And blocking specific kinds of Internet functionality at one end, effectively blocks it from both ends, on their locked down devices.

There is no need to respond if you can't hold a civilised discourse and choose to descend into directed insults instead.

One can't install a Ford made shock absorber on a Honda Civic and vice versa. The time of interchangeable spare parts came to an end some time in 1980-90's where the car manufacturers started actively embracing the vertical integration. If somebody makes compatible, third party parts, it is mostly for a small selection of performance and sports cars and is not mainstream. I just replaced the chipped and cracked windshield last week, and I had to wait for 2 months for the replacement to arrive because only the original glass existed out there, with no cheap Chinese alternatives being available – they don't exist, either.

And I had a continuous problem with spare parts for my previous 20 years old car that was more than 10 years out of production, and the car manufacturer stopping making them after 10 years. Lucky for me it was just zero problems, but lately wear and tear turned every other annual safety inspection into a 1-2 week long wait with the mechanic trying to hunt something down. The last time they just gave up and fudged it.

My new car comes with a non-negotiable condition of first five years of regular service getting done at an authorised dealership as a condition of the car warranty. If I were to do it elsewhere, the warranty would lapse automatically. After the end of the warranty, I can take my car wherever I want.

No, you can't install your own or 3rd party software in a modern car, either. This is well known and is indisputable.

So all of that rings true.

An issue with regulation of something as public good is stagnation. When companies can make money and compete for serving the customer best, this drives innovation.

I used to think that a good alternative could be making it mandatory to provide feature-complete API for interoperation. Third-party cross-platform clients would remove lock-in and make ads unprofitable, demoting Big Social from platforms to pipes, like mobile providers, and force them to charge for service. It would no longer be in their interest to serve aggravating content to keep us glued to screens if we can just switch to a more mental health friendly competitor, and besides it would lower their server load.

However, I am not sure anymore whether it would do much to other shady practices like all sorts of data mining and sale, including the new practice of using private data for training commercial ML models.