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Ironically, it's Europe where privacy championing Apple is way less of a player than Google when it comes to smartphones and services, especially compared to th
by Silhouette 7y ago
Ironically, it's Europe where privacy championing Apple is way less of a player than Google when it comes to smartphones and services, especially compared to the US market.
That's partly because Apple's rhetoric is not always matched by the practical realities of its devices and services. Are they better than Google/Android? Sure, by a long way. Are they actually good? Different question.
For example, assume that you do not wish to transfer any data to or from your Apple device via any third party online system, including Apple's own iCloud, at least not unless it is fully end-to-end encrypted and there is no realistic possibility of the external system reading the data. Instead you prefer to keep everything local, for example connecting to another device over your local network or directly using one of the secure wireless mechanisms. This should be an entry-level requirement for any genuinely privacy-focussed system, yet to this day Apple's lock-in effects and the lack of end-to-end encryption for many types of data using iCloud are in direct conflict with achieving that most basic of privacy requirements.
- Spooky23 7y agoConnectivity is completely optional on iOS. You can operate without iCloud and securely transfer files through a variety of methods.
- Silhouette 7y agoWhat methods would those be, please? I know a lot of people who would be very interested in the specifics of how to import or export things like calendar entries, notes, contacts and the like. Apple has only just introduced the ability to transfer everything from one iPhone to another directly. You still infamously can't transfer many common data sets onto or off those phones through standard protocols, and Apple's proprietary software seems to have a poor track record, again pushing users towards iCloud.
- reaperducer 7y agoSince local was in your requirements, just plug your phone in to you computer and drag the data files out of the apps with iTunes. There's a whole interface for doing just this. If the particular app you have in mind doesn't support that feature (most of the ones I use do), that's not Apple's fault.
- Silhouette 7y agoiTunes does not always work reliably, from direct personal experience. And the fact that Apple's entire system uses a proprietary storage scheme and doesn't support standard protocols other than for a few specific cases like photos clearly is a decision that Apple has deliberately made.
- reaperducer 7y agoiTunes does not always work reliably, from direct personal experience. IME, wirelessly iTunes can be flaky, though better than in the past. My direct personal experience is that if you use a wire, as stated, it's flawless.