3 ms·

For me, that day is in the past. One of the most satisfying days in my life was when I installed Rockbox on my iPod and was able to eradicate iTunes from my PC.

by hobbs 19y ago

For me, that day is in the past. One of the most satisfying days in my life was when I installed Rockbox on my iPod and was able to eradicate iTunes from my PC. Slow, bloated, DRM-infested piece of uselessness if you ask me. Now, I can simply copy MP3 files to a removable drive, just like God intended. Their actions regarding AT&T lock-in, auto-bundling Safari in iTunes updates, and forbidding Flash or Java on iPhones have only confirmed my impression that Apple would love to abuse its monopoly position, if only it had one.

alaskamiller 19y ago
Two sides to every coin: 1. iPod and iTunes is one package. You use both to get the iPod experience and iTunes manages play counts, user behaviors, album covers, ratings, and store purchases. If you just wanted a mp3 player then get a cheap Asian one but complaining about how the iPod isn't right for you just seems like a waste of your time and God's time. 2. AT&T signed the partnership contract while T-Mobile and Verizon didn't. You're obviously a man of very important stature, you should give those CEOs a ring to get this resolved. 3. Apple Updates is a delivery platform for updates AND software. Last I recall, using Windows XP's update feature they would push software to me all the time too. How's that IE7 uninstall process going? 4. Flash churns up quite a lot of CPU cycles. That leads to battery usage. Which leads to unhappy users. Oh, since you're an arbiter of technology you can help me solve this problem: how do you create an interface for Flash applications to recognize your fat finger tips as a single pixel mouse pointer or how to make multitouch work on a Flash application without creating false positive contacts? Oh, wait, it might actually require some time and knowledge with iPhone's interface? No wonder that's why they opted to push that webapp solution instead and how everything on the iPhone are BIG BLOCKS or BIG BUTTONS? As for Java, you got me there. You also must be new to Apple ideology. Apple as a company pushes innovation and it does so at the expense of its small user base. But at the same time, if it was up to the majority to decide on when to start using the mouse, stop using floppy disks, start using CD-ROM, and start using USB well... it'll be never. They're in a great position by being 'small' and not having to kowtow to customers (really, how smart are customers?) and if anything it's going to be their popularity that's going to trip them up. The bigger the user base the more noise and lamer whining.
- hobbs 19y ago
  No, I never did subscribe to Apple ideology, but I can see that you're quite indoctrinated. 1) You got me there. I was quite stupid to pay for an overpriced iPod when all I wanted to do was rip my CD's to an MP3 player. Unfortunately the packaging did not contain a disclaimer saying that the computer interface did not work like every other MP3 player ever sold. Apple will never fool me twice. 2) I can see if AT&T somehow subsidized the phone, the lock-in would be fair, but it doesn't. Apple got the exclusive contract only so it could get extra cash above and beyond the original purchase price. This is about as consumer-friendly as the crapware that is preinstalled on most PC's. 3) Equating Apple's practices to Microsoft's practices only strengthens my argument. 4) It has nothing to do with CPU cycles or battery life. The SDK allows any developer to waste as much battery life as they want. I was referring to the prohibition against interpreters: http://blog.mozilla.com/rob-sayre/2008/03/06/apple-bans-firefox-spidermonkey-lisp-lua-ruby-python-rhino-java-opera-gcc/ http://blog.mozilla.com/rob-sayre/2008/03/06/apple-bans-fire...
  - alaskamiller 19y ago
    1. iPods are priced quite well in their segments. I would offer that you buy other products in the future, Sandisk have quite a few dandy mp3 players. 2. How do you know AT&T is not subsidizing the $399 price point? Apple got the contract because AT&T was willing to share profits and upgrade their service backend. The other companies didn't want to, what exactly are you complaining about? 3. For what it's worth Apple has already said it's going to use iTunes and Software Update to push Safari. http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1286 http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1286 And it's ultimately up to the end user to install what they want to install. Safari is not an integrated service with iTunes and someone doesn't want to install it (like me) they just uncheck it and press done. 4. I'm of the point that they're forbidding Java and Flash because of its interference with iPhone's UI. And the link your posted is sensationalizing the fact that apps written for iPhone won't be able to download other code to run. Wow. That's sure is a shocker. I'm amazed they even bothered setting up the App Store and reviewgate. It also seems quite poignant to point out that iPhone can't run all those nifty programs. Like I said, it's a double-edged sword. Apple releases a product/machine and people jump and dance around and demand it be doing this and that and this and that and this. Then everyone and hoops and holler that it doesn't. At the end of the day it's a computer. Apples are meant to look pretty, if you don't like there's plenty of other PC manufacturers ready to take your money. That or you can donate it to save Darfur or something.

by hobbs 19y ago

alaskamiller 19y ago

Two sides to every coin: 1. iPod and iTunes is one package. You use both to get the iPod experience and iTunes manages play counts, user behaviors, album covers, ratings, and store purchases. If you just wanted a mp3 player then get a cheap Asian one but complaining about how the iPod isn't right for you just seems like a waste of your time and God's time. 2. AT&T signed the partnership contract while T-Mobile and Verizon didn't. You're obviously a man of very important stature, you should give those CEOs a ring to get this resolved. 3. Apple Updates is a delivery platform for updates AND software. Last I recall, using Windows XP's update feature they would push software to me all the time too. How's that IE7 uninstall process going? 4. Flash churns up quite a lot of CPU cycles. That leads to battery usage. Which leads to unhappy users. Oh, since you're an arbiter of technology you can help me solve this problem: how do you create an interface for Flash applications to recognize your fat finger tips as a single pixel mouse pointer or how to make multitouch work on a Flash application without creating false positive contacts? Oh, wait, it might actually require some time and knowledge with iPhone's interface? No wonder that's why they opted to push that webapp solution instead and how everything on the iPhone are BIG BLOCKS or BIG BUTTONS? As for Java, you got me there. You also must be new to Apple ideology. Apple as a company pushes innovation and it does so at the expense of its small user base. But at the same time, if it was up to the majority to decide on when to start using the mouse, stop using floppy disks, start using CD-ROM, and start using USB well... it'll be never. They're in a great position by being 'small' and not having to kowtow to customers (really, how smart are customers?) and if anything it's going to be their popularity that's going to trip them up. The bigger the user base the more noise and lamer whining.

hobbs 19y ago
No, I never did subscribe to Apple ideology, but I can see that you're quite indoctrinated. 1) You got me there. I was quite stupid to pay for an overpriced iPod when all I wanted to do was rip my CD's to an MP3 player. Unfortunately the packaging did not contain a disclaimer saying that the computer interface did not work like every other MP3 player ever sold. Apple will never fool me twice. 2) I can see if AT&T somehow subsidized the phone, the lock-in would be fair, but it doesn't. Apple got the exclusive contract only so it could get extra cash above and beyond the original purchase price. This is about as consumer-friendly as the crapware that is preinstalled on most PC's. 3) Equating Apple's practices to Microsoft's practices only strengthens my argument. 4) It has nothing to do with CPU cycles or battery life. The SDK allows any developer to waste as much battery life as they want. I was referring to the prohibition against interpreters: http://blog.mozilla.com/rob-sayre/2008/03/06/apple-bans-firefox-spidermonkey-lisp-lua-ruby-python-rhino-java-opera-gcc/ http://blog.mozilla.com/rob-sayre/2008/03/06/apple-bans-fire...
- alaskamiller 19y ago
  1. iPods are priced quite well in their segments. I would offer that you buy other products in the future, Sandisk have quite a few dandy mp3 players. 2. How do you know AT&T is not subsidizing the $399 price point? Apple got the contract because AT&T was willing to share profits and upgrade their service backend. The other companies didn't want to, what exactly are you complaining about? 3. For what it's worth Apple has already said it's going to use iTunes and Software Update to push Safari. http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1286 http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1286 And it's ultimately up to the end user to install what they want to install. Safari is not an integrated service with iTunes and someone doesn't want to install it (like me) they just uncheck it and press done. 4. I'm of the point that they're forbidding Java and Flash because of its interference with iPhone's UI. And the link your posted is sensationalizing the fact that apps written for iPhone won't be able to download other code to run. Wow. That's sure is a shocker. I'm amazed they even bothered setting up the App Store and reviewgate. It also seems quite poignant to point out that iPhone can't run all those nifty programs. Like I said, it's a double-edged sword. Apple releases a product/machine and people jump and dance around and demand it be doing this and that and this and that and this. Then everyone and hoops and holler that it doesn't. At the end of the day it's a computer. Apples are meant to look pretty, if you don't like there's plenty of other PC manufacturers ready to take your money. That or you can donate it to save Darfur or something.