4 ms·

I don't understand the comparisons to game consoles. You buy an Xbox or a playstation, and it's a game playing machine. It just plays video games. You buy a

by Jonnax 6y ago

I don't understand the comparisons to game consoles. You buy an Xbox or a playstation, and it's a game playing machine. It just plays video games. You buy a mobile phone. And it's a general computing device. It's very much arguable that it's necessary for modern life.

jdminhbg 6y ago
The only thing that makes a game console only a game playing machine is that it is limited by its producer. All the hardware is there for it to be a general computing device. So when you spool this argument out, it becomes: Google/Apple don't hobble their devices as much as Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo do, therefore Google/Apple should have to open them up more and Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo should not.
- Jonnax 6y ago
  Well it's what it is up front. A games consoles plays games and streams some video. A mobile phone is a camera, gps, web browser, telephone, messaging, food delivery, music listening, video watching, taxi calling, banking tool etc etc etc device. living your life, Apple and Google get 30% of your transactions.
  - jkrems 6y ago
    > A mobile phone is a camera, gps, web browser, telephone, messaging, food delivery, music listening, video watching, taxi calling, banking tool etc etc etc device. I'm sure you know that you can do most if not all of those also from a game console. Sure, it doesn't always have a camera or GPS but that's true for many other general purpose computers as well. You can absolutely listen to music or watch videos or do online banking from an XBox or Playstation.
    - ayoisaiah 6y ago
      You're not seriously trying to equate Xbox and iPhone usage in the same category
- kobalsky 6y ago
  Gaming consoles are a different breed since they are usually subsidized by the manufacturer. The PS4 was sold below the bill of materials cost at launch (which is waaaay lower than the manufactured unit cost) and remained relevant for 7 years and will continue working for many more. Meanwhile the iPhones that were sold at a premium in the same year are now landfill. You can't convert game consoles into general computing devices without shaking the business model of that industry.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
LeifCarrotson 6y ago
That you expect that the xbox and playstation are not general-purpose computing devices is a massive PR win by Sony and Microsoft, and one that Apple wants to copy. Apple doesn't want you to think of an iPhone as a general-purpose computing device. They would prefer you to think of it as an Apple Store app-running machine, to say that it just plays Apple apps.
- kllrnohj 6y ago
  Consoles don't open themselves up to any developer nor advertise themselves as such. Apple, however, definitely advertises the hell out of the App Store, which is open to anyone. Consoles also sell the hardware at a loss, and use game sales to subsidize it. There's different expectations, advertisements, and economics in play here.
  - xemoka 6y ago
    Open to those with an Apple Developer account. It's not open to everyone. The licensing process is just easier than for consoles.
    - dx034 6y ago
      You pay a nominal fee and can publish an App. There's no selection process. Consoles however won't just let anyone on their platform.
- dx034 6y ago
  AFAIK consoles were never open to any game. Phones only became walled gardens with Apples Store. And they remain completely shut off to external apps only on iOS.
paxys 6y ago
> It's very much arguable that it's necessary for modern life. Not even arguable. You need a smartphone running iOS or Android + a cellular plan to maintain an acceptable standard of life in America or most other countries today, and the costs of switching from one to the other in the middle of the cycle are prohibitive for most.
- wilsonnb3 6y ago
  You really don't, unless your standard of an acceptable life is absurd. You can make a good argument for the internet being needed but you would be able to live a fantastic life with 'just' a laptop and a non-smart phone.
  - im3w1l 6y ago
    Once when I wanted to take a ferry, the only way to buy a ticket was through android / iOS app. Many times you need 2fa app including for work, or to access government services or online banking. Some stores only accept mobile payment.

by Jonnax 6y ago

jdminhbg 6y ago

The only thing that makes a game console only a game playing machine is that it is limited by its producer. All the hardware is there for it to be a general computing device. So when you spool this argument out, it becomes: Google/Apple don't hobble their devices as much as Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo do, therefore Google/Apple should have to open them up more and Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo should not.

Jonnax 6y ago
Well it's what it is up front. A games consoles plays games and streams some video. A mobile phone is a camera, gps, web browser, telephone, messaging, food delivery, music listening, video watching, taxi calling, banking tool etc etc etc device. living your life, Apple and Google get 30% of your transactions.
- jkrems 6y ago
  > A mobile phone is a camera, gps, web browser, telephone, messaging, food delivery, music listening, video watching, taxi calling, banking tool etc etc etc device. I'm sure you know that you can do most if not all of those also from a game console. Sure, it doesn't always have a camera or GPS but that's true for many other general purpose computers as well. You can absolutely listen to music or watch videos or do online banking from an XBox or Playstation.
  - ayoisaiah 6y ago
    You're not seriously trying to equate Xbox and iPhone usage in the same category
kobalsky 6y ago
Gaming consoles are a different breed since they are usually subsidized by the manufacturer. The PS4 was sold below the bill of materials cost at launch (which is waaaay lower than the manufactured unit cost) and remained relevant for 7 years and will continue working for many more. Meanwhile the iPhones that were sold at a premium in the same year are now landfill. You can't convert game consoles into general computing devices without shaking the business model of that industry.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

LeifCarrotson 6y ago

That you expect that the xbox and playstation are not general-purpose computing devices is a massive PR win by Sony and Microsoft, and one that Apple wants to copy. Apple doesn't want you to think of an iPhone as a general-purpose computing device. They would prefer you to think of it as an Apple Store app-running machine, to say that it just plays Apple apps.

kllrnohj 6y ago
Consoles don't open themselves up to any developer nor advertise themselves as such. Apple, however, definitely advertises the hell out of the App Store, which is open to anyone. Consoles also sell the hardware at a loss, and use game sales to subsidize it. There's different expectations, advertisements, and economics in play here.
- xemoka 6y ago
  Open to those with an Apple Developer account. It's not open to everyone. The licensing process is just easier than for consoles.
  - dx034 6y ago
    You pay a nominal fee and can publish an App. There's no selection process. Consoles however won't just let anyone on their platform.
dx034 6y ago
AFAIK consoles were never open to any game. Phones only became walled gardens with Apples Store. And they remain completely shut off to external apps only on iOS.

paxys 6y ago

> It's very much arguable that it's necessary for modern life. Not even arguable. You need a smartphone running iOS or Android + a cellular plan to maintain an acceptable standard of life in America or most other countries today, and the costs of switching from one to the other in the middle of the cycle are prohibitive for most.

wilsonnb3 6y ago
You really don't, unless your standard of an acceptable life is absurd. You can make a good argument for the internet being needed but you would be able to live a fantastic life with 'just' a laptop and a non-smart phone.
- im3w1l 6y ago
  Once when I wanted to take a ferry, the only way to buy a ticket was through android / iOS app. Many times you need 2fa app including for work, or to access government services or online banking. Some stores only accept mobile payment.