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I think the balance for Google is whether they fight Apple, or the carriers. Fighting the carriers will fight themselves out of existence. If they cater to th

I think the balance for Google is whether they fight Apple, or the carriers. Fighting the carriers will fight themselves out of existence. If they cater to the carriers, they can kill the iPhone. That doesn't mean I like it. Just as locking down devices and forcing apps through the App Store, although beneficial to Apple, doesn't make it good for consumers. Ultimately, I want an open phone that works on the carrier of my choice. I just don't know if that formula could ever win.

lzw 16y ago
Think about your assertion that the appstore isn't good for consumers. Do you really believe that? Consumers are not hackers. Consumers do not really understand technology that well. The appstore provides a safe buying experience for consumers, and now, rather than the app marketplace being infintesimal, it is massive and growing quickly. Apple lit a powderkeg there. How is this not good for consumers? Imagine if Apple had not provided any protections? You'd have malicious apps all over the place, and constant stories about how bad and dangerous iPhone apps are, and a lot less consumers using apps. I don't really buy that the iPhone is closed. Any app I can think of that is not evil, Apple will approve for sale on the store. If I want something that doesn't make sense to sell, then I compile it myself and sign it myself with the developer certificate. The random consumer is not going to be even installing XCode, let alone figuring out how to build even open-source software. So, the $99/year for the keys to sign apps is not really a big deal to me.
- ZeroGravitas 16y ago
  You think Firefox and Google Voice are "evil"? Apps that duplicate functionality are "evil"? One more fart app is "evil"? Your positive regard for the App store may be partly based on ignorance of Apple's stated conditions.
loewenskind 16y ago
> Just as locking down devices and forcing apps through the App Store, although beneficial to Apple, doesn't make it good for consumers. Nonsense. Consumers don't want to have to know all kinds of useless details just to be able to use their device. Personally I hate installing software on windows. There is a vast amount of it, but there is no one there making sure it's not going to damage my system (for the most part, of course you can restrict yourself to only software that has the MS seal). On OSX this is slightly better, but I still hate it when that little box opens up asking me to grant access. On iOS however, I install without much thought. I know that anything I download there has been vetted by someone with a strong interest in making sure their platform doesn't look bad (among some other interests that are less to my benefit). For me the trade off of not ever having to think about this stuff is worth missing out on things like Google Voice. I don't think the reason Android has been doing well in the US has anything what so ever to do with silly "open" dogma, but rather that it's cheaper and isn't tied to AT&T.
- doki_pen 16y ago
  There is nothing wrong with the App Store concept. There is a huge problem with locking down a device that is the property of the consumer. Adults can choose to only install apps from the App Store, and it may or may not be a good idea for most users.

lzw 16y ago

Think about your assertion that the appstore isn't good for consumers. Do you really believe that? Consumers are not hackers. Consumers do not really understand technology that well. The appstore provides a safe buying experience for consumers, and now, rather than the app marketplace being infintesimal, it is massive and growing quickly. Apple lit a powderkeg there. How is this not good for consumers? Imagine if Apple had not provided any protections? You'd have malicious apps all over the place, and constant stories about how bad and dangerous iPhone apps are, and a lot less consumers using apps. I don't really buy that the iPhone is closed. Any app I can think of that is not evil, Apple will approve for sale on the store. If I want something that doesn't make sense to sell, then I compile it myself and sign it myself with the developer certificate. The random consumer is not going to be even installing XCode, let alone figuring out how to build even open-source software. So, the $99/year for the keys to sign apps is not really a big deal to me.

ZeroGravitas 16y ago
You think Firefox and Google Voice are "evil"? Apps that duplicate functionality are "evil"? One more fart app is "evil"? Your positive regard for the App store may be partly based on ignorance of Apple's stated conditions.

loewenskind 16y ago

> Just as locking down devices and forcing apps through the App Store, although beneficial to Apple, doesn't make it good for consumers. Nonsense. Consumers don't want to have to know all kinds of useless details just to be able to use their device. Personally I hate installing software on windows. There is a vast amount of it, but there is no one there making sure it's not going to damage my system (for the most part, of course you can restrict yourself to only software that has the MS seal). On OSX this is slightly better, but I still hate it when that little box opens up asking me to grant access. On iOS however, I install without much thought. I know that anything I download there has been vetted by someone with a strong interest in making sure their platform doesn't look bad (among some other interests that are less to my benefit). For me the trade off of not ever having to think about this stuff is worth missing out on things like Google Voice. I don't think the reason Android has been doing well in the US has anything what so ever to do with silly "open" dogma, but rather that it's cheaper and isn't tied to AT&T.

doki_pen 16y ago
There is nothing wrong with the App Store concept. There is a huge problem with locking down a device that is the property of the consumer. Adults can choose to only install apps from the App Store, and it may or may not be a good idea for most users.