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arguably the whole reason for iOS’ success is that it is a service, and not just a passive piece of software. I’m not so sure developers would want the alterna

arguably the whole reason for iOS’ success is that it is a service, and not just a passive piece of software. I’m not so sure developers would want the alternative of malware-plagued PCs. Previous consumer OSes had major usability and security drawbacks for the average consumer. Through no fault of their own, their computers would gradually get slower and corrupted by 3rd parties. This is similar to the shift to cloud computing. It’s more valuable to have a service take care of me than to have the freedom of licensed software . I’m not saying this stance is without problems - but it does seem to be what the market is saying. It’s also worth noting that software always has been considered a service in some sectors - enterprise software dating back to the 1970s for example required 21-25% of your purchase price in annual service & support fees with penalties if you terminate.

kbenson 6y ago
> I’m not so sure developers would want the alternative of malware-plagued PCs. We would never even be at the level we're at if there weren't those malware-plagued PCs and their open marketplace of software and operating systems competing with each other. > Previous consumer OSes had major usability and security drawbacks for the average consumer. You mean Windows did, because A) it was the OS of the vast majority of desktop systems and B) they had a culture and practice of not taking security very seriously, or at least prioritizing so many things over it that the outcome was the same. Apple's operating systems traditionally faced less scrutiny (but now there are more security problems since they are more popular). Windows has gotten much better and Microsoft appears to be much more serious about security (since it because a large enough problem to actually threaten their OS market dominance). > Through no fault of their own, their computers would gradually get slower and corrupted by 3rd parties. Not really my experience over the last 6-7 years. Prior to that, depending on OS, sure. > This is similar to the shift to cloud computing. It’s more valuable to have a service take care of me than to have the freedom of licensed software . To you, sure, but for the average person or company, it's variable and based on many things (capability, scale, etc). > It’s also worth noting that software always has been considered a service in some sectors - enterprise software dating back to the 1970s for example required 21-25% of your purchase price in annual service & support fees with penalties if you terminate. The enterprise doesn't really scale to the individual level we're talking about at all. An enterprise buying a specific computer with certain hardware with a custom OS delivered as a service is like a person buying some Tamagotchi toy and looking at it for 5 minutes a day for a week. Enterprises run anywhere from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of desktops and/or servers and any software as a service they pay for in that ecosystem is minuscule compared to the whole. Apple controls a non-negligible portion of most iPhone users compute time in one way or another (or multiple ways).
- pier25 6y ago
  > Windows has gotten much better Yeah totally. I've been using Windows since 3.1 and macOS since Panther. These days I spend most of my time on macOS but I have a Windows 10 desktop machine and it works beautifully. Performance is way better than on macOS. If Windows had a better text rendering engine I would probably switch. I just have an irrational disgust for how fonts are rendered on Windows. I know it's subjective but as someone that spends most of its time reading and writing text it's imperative I enjoy that.
- Razengan 6y ago
  > We would never even be at the level we're at if there weren't those malware-plagued PCs The mobile industry would also never even be at the level it's at if it wasn't for the iPhone. One of the biggest selling points of iOS was precisely that it was free of random third-party crap that everyone was sick of by that time. Ever since Apple refused to let AT&T shovel their bloatware on the first iPhone, the very identity of iOS has been that it's a curated platform, and you only have to be concerned with one company for almost everything. It was a breath of fresh air, bringing the philosophy of consoles to a mass consumer device. Millions of people love that. For everybody else, there's Android.
- valuearb 6y ago
  There is a huge difference between having your PC not work because of viruses and your phone. Since day one security and safety have been the most important feature for iPhone, and the biggest reason consumers select it.
  - kbenson 6y ago
    > Since day one security and safety have been the most important feature for iPhone, and the biggest reason consumers select it. That's ridiculous. That has nothing to do with the reason people selected it when it came out. It was pretty, it had features no other phone really had, such as a browser that rendered the same as the desktop and good touch controls, but security and safety had nothing to do with it.
    - 6y ago

kbenson 6y ago

> I’m not so sure developers would want the alternative of malware-plagued PCs. We would never even be at the level we're at if there weren't those malware-plagued PCs and their open marketplace of software and operating systems competing with each other. > Previous consumer OSes had major usability and security drawbacks for the average consumer. You mean Windows did, because A) it was the OS of the vast majority of desktop systems and B) they had a culture and practice of not taking security very seriously, or at least prioritizing so many things over it that the outcome was the same. Apple's operating systems traditionally faced less scrutiny (but now there are more security problems since they are more popular). Windows has gotten much better and Microsoft appears to be much more serious about security (since it because a large enough problem to actually threaten their OS market dominance). > Through no fault of their own, their computers would gradually get slower and corrupted by 3rd parties. Not really my experience over the last 6-7 years. Prior to that, depending on OS, sure. > This is similar to the shift to cloud computing. It’s more valuable to have a service take care of me than to have the freedom of licensed software . To you, sure, but for the average person or company, it's variable and based on many things (capability, scale, etc). > It’s also worth noting that software always has been considered a service in some sectors - enterprise software dating back to the 1970s for example required 21-25% of your purchase price in annual service & support fees with penalties if you terminate. The enterprise doesn't really scale to the individual level we're talking about at all. An enterprise buying a specific computer with certain hardware with a custom OS delivered as a service is like a person buying some Tamagotchi toy and looking at it for 5 minutes a day for a week. Enterprises run anywhere from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of desktops and/or servers and any software as a service they pay for in that ecosystem is minuscule compared to the whole. Apple controls a non-negligible portion of most iPhone users compute time in one way or another (or multiple ways).

pier25 6y ago
> Windows has gotten much better Yeah totally. I've been using Windows since 3.1 and macOS since Panther. These days I spend most of my time on macOS but I have a Windows 10 desktop machine and it works beautifully. Performance is way better than on macOS. If Windows had a better text rendering engine I would probably switch. I just have an irrational disgust for how fonts are rendered on Windows. I know it's subjective but as someone that spends most of its time reading and writing text it's imperative I enjoy that.
Razengan 6y ago
> We would never even be at the level we're at if there weren't those malware-plagued PCs The mobile industry would also never even be at the level it's at if it wasn't for the iPhone. One of the biggest selling points of iOS was precisely that it was free of random third-party crap that everyone was sick of by that time. Ever since Apple refused to let AT&T shovel their bloatware on the first iPhone, the very identity of iOS has been that it's a curated platform, and you only have to be concerned with one company for almost everything. It was a breath of fresh air, bringing the philosophy of consoles to a mass consumer device. Millions of people love that. For everybody else, there's Android.
valuearb 6y ago
There is a huge difference between having your PC not work because of viruses and your phone. Since day one security and safety have been the most important feature for iPhone, and the biggest reason consumers select it.
- kbenson 6y ago
  > Since day one security and safety have been the most important feature for iPhone, and the biggest reason consumers select it. That's ridiculous. That has nothing to do with the reason people selected it when it came out. It was pretty, it had features no other phone really had, such as a browser that rendered the same as the desktop and good touch controls, but security and safety had nothing to do with it.
  - 6y ago