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Techcrunch is trying to equate this to an ISP censoring pornographic material. Apple it just not that kind of commodity carrier. While a small portion of the co
by conover 17y ago
Techcrunch is trying to equate this to an ISP censoring pornographic material. Apple it just not that kind of commodity carrier. While a small portion of the content Apple offers is exclusive, most of it can be had elsewhere. If you don't like their policies, you are free not to use their service.
- jkincaid 17y agoFunny, because I didn't mention ISPs once. Did you bother reading the post?
- JoachimSchipper 17y agoI did read the post, and I did notice the words "gatekeeper" and "censorship". Going from there to "ISP" requires a leap, but not a very large one.
- protomyth 17y agoA slightly smaller leap then going from a Apple App Store to Wal-Mart. There are other outlets, smart phones, and the things still has a web browser.
- cgranade 17y agoActually, that is a quite large leap. The article refers to being a gatekeeper in the markets controlled by Apple, such as the iPhone/iPad and the iTunes movie service. They are now in the content business big time, and are pushing further with book licensing on the iPad, so the word censorship applies quite well to them denying access to content they don't like.
- conover 17y agoThey are the gatekeeper in the markets tied to their devices. However, there are many other competing devices and content providers. They are not the universal arbiter of all content streaming into your life. If Apple doesn't carry a movie you want to watch due to whatever policies, you can buy a different phone from a different company or stream it on NetFlix or whatever. On the other hand, if your ISP won't let you download a movie over your connection because of their policies and they are the only ones who provide service in your area, that is a much larger problem. That is the distinction I was trying to make and the one I think this article overlooks.
- cgranade 17y agoIn some ways the problems with Apple's model go far, far deeper. If devices like the iPad become the norm, then that enables the machinery of censorship at a much tighter level than any ISP could ever dream of. The old standby of using Sneakernet (you know, burning a disk and walking it to the post office) no longer makes any sense in the world with Apple as a gatekeeper. That makes it very scary when Apple starts flirting with this kind of censorship without even defining the terms.
- conover 17y agoI agree this would be bad if Apple significantly strengthened their position but I think the market would push back if it really got bad. People love their porn.
- cgranade 17y agoI think you're right on that, but it worries me that it hasn't happened yet. The iPad is a rather large step towards strengthening their position, and the backlash has been, at best, minimal.