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>the behavior of those companies that completely disrespect and tramples their customer right Here is a "radical" idea: what if we had an Apple users union? Wh

>the behavior of those companies that completely disrespect and tramples their customer right Here is a "radical" idea: what if we had an Apple users union? What if Apple had to justify their app censorship to that union? What if the union could vote that censorship out? Our current capitalistic model assumes that competition is the solution for the consumer, but the Apple/Google stranglehold is essentially indisruptable. Of course, the only way we could really get this union model would be to have it forced by the same government which has repeatedly and increasingly failed to protect the consumer from these bloated monopolistic corporations. I guess we'll have to settle for some optimistic SciFi porn. Paging Cory Doctorow: https://pluralistic.net/ https://pluralistic.net/

xerox13ster 5y ago
Something like an agency to protect consumers?
- AnthonyMouse 5y ago
  The problem with consumer protection agencies is that they're subject to regulatory capture. Politicians take Apple's money, or are subject to threats to remove thousands of jobs from their jurisdiction. What you really want is a third party app store which is operated as a co-op, supports multiple platforms (making it easier for users to switch and keep their apps), and has enough users to have bargaining power.
Brian_K_White 5y ago
I love it but the main power a union wields is the collective action of the members to strike. When the union says "Ok, Apple isn't cooperating, so everyone... " ...actually, what would you have the members do? Turn off icloud? Stop buying new airpods? You will never get all the "users union" members to give up one atom of convenience.
- AnthonyMouse 5y ago
  If the union members are willing to strike, i.e. go without pay for an arbitrarily long period of time, why wouldn't users be temporarily willing to go without anything, when they know there is a good self-interested reason for doing so? Saying "people won't do that" is just a self-fulfilling prophecy. Convince them that it's in their interest and they will.
heavyset_go 5y ago
Apologists unironically describe Apple as being the Apple users' union[1]. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27280527 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27280527

xerox13ster 5y ago

Something like an agency to protect consumers?

AnthonyMouse 5y ago
The problem with consumer protection agencies is that they're subject to regulatory capture. Politicians take Apple's money, or are subject to threats to remove thousands of jobs from their jurisdiction. What you really want is a third party app store which is operated as a co-op, supports multiple platforms (making it easier for users to switch and keep their apps), and has enough users to have bargaining power.

Brian_K_White 5y ago

I love it but the main power a union wields is the collective action of the members to strike. When the union says "Ok, Apple isn't cooperating, so everyone... " ...actually, what would you have the members do? Turn off icloud? Stop buying new airpods? You will never get all the "users union" members to give up one atom of convenience.

AnthonyMouse 5y ago
If the union members are willing to strike, i.e. go without pay for an arbitrarily long period of time, why wouldn't users be temporarily willing to go without anything, when they know there is a good self-interested reason for doing so? Saying "people won't do that" is just a self-fulfilling prophecy. Convince them that it's in their interest and they will.

heavyset_go 5y ago

Apologists unironically describe Apple as being the Apple users' union[1]. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27280527 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27280527