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The only digital device that allows you to run anything you want on it is a pc. Consoles? Only allows you to run code they allow, since forever. CD/DVD Player

The only digital device that allows you to run anything you want on it is a pc. Consoles? Only allows you to run code they allow, since forever. CD/DVD Players? Only runs the code which gets flashed during manufacturing. TVs? Can’t run your own code. The list goes on, Apple was actually the first company which made a marketplace on a non PC device which had a overly cheap way to get your software on it and they even made it super easy and cheap for developers to get updates for their code on it, that was during a time where consoles where limited to physical media to ship your code to customers. Microsoft made you pay 5 digits or something similar outraging to release updates on Xbox once they had a digital store on it. Is Apples model outdated by now? Maybe. Should a court force them to practically change their model to the one of their competition? Well, why should anyone buy their stuff then anymore? It would practically made their brand worthless to me, they’d just become another pc shop, the last time they tried that it nearly made them bankrupt. That time made Apple what it is today, it’s in their DNA. They’ll fight anyone which tries to change that.

bmitc 6y ago
Those are not the same class of products as modern smartphones.
- msh 6y ago
  Whut is a console not the same class? Modern consoles are locked down pc's.
  - oneeyedpigeon 6y ago
    I would argue that they are not, as far as the typical consumer is concerned. Consoles have historically been single-purpose devices, that purpose being to play games. Whilst there have been varying moves across the three big manufacturers to include additional functionality, game-playing is still the single most important feature - you probably wouldn't even call it a console if it didn't play games.
- donkeyd 6y ago
  Are cars and houses though?
  - craftinator 6y ago
    Cars are houses without the "stationary property" DRM.
timthorn 6y ago
> Apple was actually the first company which made a marketplace on a non PC device which had a overly cheap way to get your software on it There were companies before Apple with non-PC software marketplaces, such as Handango.
bluescrn 6y ago
The PC will never die as it cannot be replaced by locked-down ‘content consumption devices’. If we want the phone or tablet to become a real alternative to the PC, they need to open up. It’s not just about devs being gouged for 30%, it’s also about the outright ban on some types of app, from cryptocurrency to BitTorrent to pornography.
- pjmlp 6y ago
  Actually it is already dying, the classical PC is only used in a couple of places that still need desktops with replacement parts. Most consumer shops now only sell tablets and laptops, and if desktops are in display they tend to be some variation of NUCs, which are basically laptops in a desktop case.
_qulr 6y ago
> The only digital device that allows you to run anything you want on it is a pc. Apple Macintosh? > CD/DVD Players? Only runs the code which gets flashed during manufacturing. > TVs? Can’t run your own code. CD/DVD players don't demand a cut of music and movies. TVs don't demand a cut of TV shows. These devices work on a standardized, non-propriety format. You can even burn a CD at home. So in a sense, you can run your own code. You can play home movies on your TV too. It's too narrow to think of freedom only in terms of "code".
- cmsj 6y ago
  > Apple Macintosh? PC as in Personal Computer, which includes Macs, but even if one were to take the strict interpretation of "IBM Compatible PC", that also includes the current x86 Macs, at least until the first Apple Silicon models appear. I'm pretty sure you know this all :)
  - _qulr 6y ago
    Here's what I was replying to: "Is Apples model outdated by now? Maybe. Should a court force them to practically change their model to the one of their competition? Well, why should anyone buy their stuff then anymore? It would practically made their brand worthless to me, they’d just become another pc shop, the last time they tried that it nearly made them bankrupt. That time made Apple what it is today, it’s in their DNA. They’ll fight anyone which tries to change that." This is a very distorted telling of history, and trying to equate Apple with iPhone. Desktop computing has been in Apple's "DNA" since 1976 and continues to be today. Mac sales were $7 billion last quarter. Apple had financial trouble in the mid-90s, but they were doing well in the 2000s even before iPhone came along. There's nothing about the App Store that's essential to Apple as a company.

bmitc 6y ago

Those are not the same class of products as modern smartphones.

msh 6y ago
Whut is a console not the same class? Modern consoles are locked down pc's.
- oneeyedpigeon 6y ago
  I would argue that they are not, as far as the typical consumer is concerned. Consoles have historically been single-purpose devices, that purpose being to play games. Whilst there have been varying moves across the three big manufacturers to include additional functionality, game-playing is still the single most important feature - you probably wouldn't even call it a console if it didn't play games.
donkeyd 6y ago
Are cars and houses though?
- craftinator 6y ago
  Cars are houses without the "stationary property" DRM.

timthorn 6y ago

> Apple was actually the first company which made a marketplace on a non PC device which had a overly cheap way to get your software on it There were companies before Apple with non-PC software marketplaces, such as Handango.

bluescrn 6y ago

The PC will never die as it cannot be replaced by locked-down ‘content consumption devices’. If we want the phone or tablet to become a real alternative to the PC, they need to open up. It’s not just about devs being gouged for 30%, it’s also about the outright ban on some types of app, from cryptocurrency to BitTorrent to pornography.

pjmlp 6y ago
Actually it is already dying, the classical PC is only used in a couple of places that still need desktops with replacement parts. Most consumer shops now only sell tablets and laptops, and if desktops are in display they tend to be some variation of NUCs, which are basically laptops in a desktop case.

_qulr 6y ago

> The only digital device that allows you to run anything you want on it is a pc. Apple Macintosh? > CD/DVD Players? Only runs the code which gets flashed during manufacturing. > TVs? Can’t run your own code. CD/DVD players don't demand a cut of music and movies. TVs don't demand a cut of TV shows. These devices work on a standardized, non-propriety format. You can even burn a CD at home. So in a sense, you can run your own code. You can play home movies on your TV too. It's too narrow to think of freedom only in terms of "code".

cmsj 6y ago
> Apple Macintosh? PC as in Personal Computer, which includes Macs, but even if one were to take the strict interpretation of "IBM Compatible PC", that also includes the current x86 Macs, at least until the first Apple Silicon models appear. I'm pretty sure you know this all :)
- _qulr 6y ago
  Here's what I was replying to: "Is Apples model outdated by now? Maybe. Should a court force them to practically change their model to the one of their competition? Well, why should anyone buy their stuff then anymore? It would practically made their brand worthless to me, they’d just become another pc shop, the last time they tried that it nearly made them bankrupt. That time made Apple what it is today, it’s in their DNA. They’ll fight anyone which tries to change that." This is a very distorted telling of history, and trying to equate Apple with iPhone. Desktop computing has been in Apple's "DNA" since 1976 and continues to be today. Mac sales were $7 billion last quarter. Apple had financial trouble in the mid-90s, but they were doing well in the 2000s even before iPhone came along. There's nothing about the App Store that's essential to Apple as a company.