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Is your iPhone primarily a gaming device? I don't understand how you're seamlessly leaping from "Phone" to "Game console" and making equivalency comparisons. In
by warent 6y ago
Is your iPhone primarily a gaming device? I don't understand how you're seamlessly leaping from "Phone" to "Game console" and making equivalency comparisons. In my ways my phone/computer is an extension of who I am as a person. They are my second brain. Having that functionality dictated by a company feels nightmarish to me. Imagine if you didn't want to be blasted by multiple internet forums, multiple news feeds, or even multiple websites. Why have more than one website on the internet? Have the entire internet be a single website run by someone you trust. That's the natural conclusion of where your preference leads.
- refulgentis 6y agoThe 'your iPhone is an Xbox' is the Gruber approved narrative as of last week, the Apple community left defending this is sextupling down on that idea.
- misnome 6y agoOr, it’s an extremely obvious immediate parallel
- refulgentis 6y agothat bizarrely didn't appear till last week, which is odd. Before that it was 'appliance'. But I'll accept the downvotes for the churlish tone
- scarface74 6y agoYou really haven’t been around here long. I’ve been making the argument for months with the downvotes to prove it.
- chipotle_coyote 6y agoI was describing the iPad as an "app console" back in 2010 (https://tracks.ranea.org/post/1432038656/geek-luddites https://tracks.ranea.org/post/1432038656/geek-luddites). It's not at all impossible Gruber read my blog post on that back then, in fact, as it was linked around a few places. I think you're getting a bit hung up on the language -- "appliance" and "console" are trying to communicate basically the same thing, e.g., a device which on a technical level could absolutely be a general purpose computing platform but has been restricted from that by design.
- misnome 6y agoI haven’t read Gruber in years and the literal first thing I thought when the “they don’t let other people use their platform” argument was made is “Why would this not apply to any other platform, <think of another highly locked down platform> like consoles!” And even assuming the antitrust/monopoly argument holds, is there some barely-known exception to “general devices only”? I’d love it if I could load my own stuff onto consoles, but don’t see how this could be practically compelled in a way that isn’t massively impactful to _everything_, especially with security and piracy implications.
- emsy 6y agoLast time I checked I didn’t use my Switch to check emails, download the Covid App, pay in a store, download and send documents or board a flight. The smartphone is an important driver for my daily life, a console is not.
- misnome 6y agoWhy not? If it wasn’t so locked down you’d be able to install apps to do all those things.
- simonh 6y agoI’ve been saying the exact same thing for about a decade. Check my HN comment history on Algolia. Nevertheless I think Apple are making some missteps. I think they made a mistake on the game streaming service decision. Epic can go take a running jump though.
- ggreer 6y agoLike iOS devices, all major consoles are locked down and limited to what's in a single app store. Any argument in favor of forcing Apple to allow multiple app stores would also apply to consoles.
- ryanbrunner 6y agoI think there's an argument to be made that in practice, smartphones are typically used by most users as general purpose computing devices, while game consoles, despite being technically capable of being general purpose devices, are typically used for a specific purpose. That being said, I would be perfectly happy if an outcome of this was that end users were able to install whatever software they liked on game consoles.
- threeseed 6y agoLet's assume that phones are general purpose computing devices. So what ? There is no legal requirement that computers must have user-installable apps or comply with some standard around openness. Nor is there some rationale as to why computers should be treated differently to any other device that can run apps. And if Sony decides to ship a browser with PS5 does it suddenly switch to a general purpose computer device and must allow competing app stores. And if they remove it does it switch back to a console. The whole concept is completely nonsensical and unworkable.
- CarbyAu 6y agoSeparate the hardware from the software. The devices:phones or consoles, as hardware ARE general purpose computing capable. The software limitations is where the arbitrary restrictions come in. But as you say there is no legal requirement for "user-installable apps". But there ARE laws about anti-competitive behaviour. Whether they apply? The courts will decide soon I guess. I can see it from the point where Apple makes Apps and yet also profits from their competitors Apps. Mind you, I can also see a reasoning that by keeping an App in the market Apple can set a base minimum for quality, hence setting a floor for the experience for end users. But they could do that via their gatekeeping anyway too...
- veilrap 6y agoIf your phone is an extension of your person, and you don't like how that extension works, then replace that extension with a different one. There are plenty of phones on the market.
- damnyou 6y agoAnd then be ostracized from your social groups because no one wants to see green bubbles in their group chats. Not a problem I personally experience but one many people have reported. This may also be less of a problem with COVID, I'm not sure.
- elvicherrera 6y agoOr tweak what you got
- CarbyAu 6y ago"Love it or leave" ? :-P You can certainly do that. But we are also allowed to wish/hope/verbalise/act to make the current thing better. As for what "better" is? Ultimately that's decided by the courts but we can express wishes.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]