If you care about your rights, don't buy an iPhone

[malaise]

Great read from Salon.com
<snip>
As I've written before, I consider the iPhone a revolutionary device. The hype was well-deserved; by delivering the Web on the go, the iPhone enhances nearly every aspect of a workaday life.

But Apple has now made it plain that anybody who buys the iPhone is not really buying it. What we're doing instead is more like renting it -- Apple remains your landlord, stern, controlling, and allowed to evict you at will. At whatever price -- $600, $400, $200 -- that's a very high cost to bear. If you care about your rights, don't buy an iPhone.

http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/09/28/unlock_iphone/index.html

[AuntPatsy]

1. too late

[Az]

2. Too late

This particular marketing technique has overrun the computer industry. You don't own anything on your PC. Everything is licensed. Bill Gates perfected this tactic. We are entering into a world where everything is a death by a thousand cuts.

[Swamp Rat]

3. The critical software I need is now licensed for one year -leased- for a price that should

give me ownership.

We need to regulate the software industry before this gets totally out of hand.

[nebenaube]

7. whoa!

You need to regulate monopolies not small companies and independent developers...

[Swamp Rat]

9. Who was talking about small companies and independent developers?

I wasn't.

[sendero]

4. I have no idea..

... why this would come as any surprise to anyone. Apple has long refused to license their OS, rendering you a slave to their exorbitant hardware prices. They operate on a particular business model, one which is no more palatable than the rapacious Microsoft model.

I refuse to buy any Apple products, from their ridiculously overpriced MP3 players or anything else.

Of all the carriers they could have chosen to partner with, AT&T, formerly Cingular, has the shittiest network imaginable. I FINALLY got out of my contract and got with another provider, no more dropped calls and lousy audio. Apple sucks balls.

[parasim]

5. You know what? They all suck balls.

Apple just happens to be the lesser of many evils. The reason why i say that is because I rely on Macintosh computers to do my work, which happens to help me make a very comfortable living. I abhor computers, but this thing doesn't even seem like one. It just allows me to do 8 hours a day of actual work, not 6 hours of work and 2 hours of trying to figure out why it's not working the way it's supposed to (which is how it would be if I only used my PC for my work). which means that I have saved money using Apple machines. I don't care what anyone says, I've used many types of computers, from Unix boxes to Windows, Macs, and I save more money in the long run with Apples. I've never had to call tech support or bring it to Geek Squad/whatever. It doesn't crash. It just works.

I've used Apple stuff since 1985, when I first used a Mac 128 (and even at that time cursed Jobs for not opening the thing up). He really does have an issue with keeping his products closed up tight. But, I just worked around it and made it work for me. The way I wanted it to. Eventually they came around and let us take the thing apart without a special tool and expand it on our own, etc.

Well, sure, they're doing it again with the iPhone. Which I have and love. Way better than any other phone I've ever had. But then again, I design user interfaces for a living so am a sucker for elegant user interfaces. And there is no doubt Apple leads them all in that category. If you feel otherwise, then you've never really used one.

As for AT&t, I went from AT&T to Cingular and back again, but just when my contract was up and I was going to go to Verizon, Apple comes out with the iPhone. So, I'm now signed up for another 2 years. Whatever... All I know is that I absolutely love surfing the web on my phone and really enjoy using it's many features (although it's way too easy to spend way too much money on music now that they've got the iTunes store integrated). Never felt that way about a phone before. But then again, I'm a total geek for that kinda stuff.

on edit: correction... I first said that I bought a Mac SE in '85... actually, I used a Mac 128 in '85 and bought and SE in like 86 or 87.

[Seedersandleechers]

6. So if you do not buy anything apple

What do you buy? Do you have any microsoft software, and have you ever used an apple?

[BlooInBloo]

8. I try not to contribute my money to DRM or anything similar....

... I love my Archos 604wifi, and will be loving my Helio Ocean soon.

[sendero]

19. Of course I use MS..

... what choice is there really? I ran Linux for many years but got tired of not being able to do the latest stuff.

I've never owned an apple, but I had a graphic artist girlfriend for a time, and I can tell you first hand that the idea that macs don't crash is utter bullshit :)

[begin_within]

13. There was a short period (approximately 4 years) when Apple did license their OS

From roughly 1994 until roughly 1998 Apple did allow third-party CPU vendors to make what were known as "Mac Clones" which ran true Mac OS operating systems. Michael Spindler was the CEO of Apple when this was launched, and Gil Amelio was the CEO at the heigh tof the "Mac Clone" era. But when Steve Jobs became CEO again, he quickly and unceremoniously pulled the plug on the entire program. Google "mac clones" to find articles discussing that interesting little detour in the Mac's long and torturous winding road...

[parasim]

10. Well, I feel that if you care about your rights, fight to change the telcos...

way of doing business, don't just blame Apple.

Come on, it's not Apple's fault that the mobile phone industry is totally screwed up. Sure, Apple has always tried to keep their machines tight as a drum, but inventive programmers have always been able to overcome that stuff. I don't think that's really the issue.

This article tries to paint Apple as the sole bad guy in this whole deal. It's just not the case. I've long lamented about the cell phone industry because you always had to rely on whatever phones your particular service had available to you. This is way before the iPhone was a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. I really would have loved to be able to get the particular LG phone that my son has on Verizon, for instance, but it is not available on AT&T. And he admired a certain phone that I could get and he couldn't with his carrier.

What I'm saying is, Apple didn't invent this idea of only being able to use a certain phone with a certain service. They just entered the market they way Nokia, LG, etc do, but since they have only one phone, it is tied to one carrier. The very same way that Motorola's first Razr was only available on Cingular for awhile (ok, it was for six months, which is less than Apple/AT&Ts two year deal I know, but still...).

No, I say, if you care about your rights, then lobby congress to keep these carriers out of the moble phone design business. Sure, you can boycott Apple, but they'll still sell the stuff and people like me will still buy 'em.

I'm all for people punishing Apple for their evil ways, but I ain't gonna do it, I got work to get done.

[DaveJ]

11. Nobody understands why I like my Samsung MP3 Player

I just drag and drop MP3's onto it, and that's it. I don't have to deal with ITunes, WMP, music stores, or anything.

When it comes to MP3 playing phones, let's see, I heard that it costs $80 per month to get the IPhone Service with a 2 year contract. Plus $400 for the phone. That's $2,320 plus the cost of the music downloads.

[NYCGirl]

12. $80 a month? I pay $60 for mine, which is less than the cost of my late,

unlamented landline (without any "long distance" calling).

Edited to add link:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/easysetup/rateplans.html

[DaveJ]

15. My cell phone provider would turn $60 into $80 in a snap

Somehow they come up with taxes and fees that would befuddle a rocket scientist. Anyway, even 3/4th of my $2,300 estimate is a bit high for most people.

[parasim]

16. Well, iTunes is pretty simple to use and as for the music store...

well, i can choose to go to it if I want, it's not forced on me or anything...

but as for the cost, all I know is that by replacing my older phone that I had (a Samsung Sync, not even a smartphone) with the iPhone, my bill is 20 bucks less than it was before.

[Ravy]

14. You can offset losing this right by gettng one at Circuit City, and not

showing your receipt on the way out.

:hide:

[AtomicKitten]

17. Actually AT&T is the landlord.

screw 'em

[Naturyl]

18. I wouldn't buy this rubbish phone at any price.

I don't go in for that sort of thing, and it's not just because the price is a month's pay.