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I think you're exactly right - it's not that Apple can't see which way the wind is blowing, it's that they can still make billions more by dragging out the proc

by m12k 5y ago

I think you're exactly right - it's not that Apple can't see which way the wind is blowing, it's that they can still make billions more by dragging out the process and not giving an inch on anything they care about until absolutely forced to. Sure, it might not look great, but it takes a lot more than "bad optics" to persuade a company to willingly forego billions in profit.

zarzavat 5y ago
Not sure that a no-compromises approach is good politics in the long term. Politicians love to have easy targets as it deflects from their own failings. As the largest US company, Apple is the juiciest of low-hanging fruit already for their financial and tax arrangements, the last thing they need is to become antitrust public enemy No 1 as well.
- vkou 5y ago
  Politicians may love to have easy targets, but they are going to have a hard time getting the public to care that they've reduced Apple's app store cut to 10% or something something walled gardens or something something encryption or whatever. Nobody outside of tech cares very much about these issue. You can build your re-election campaign on "I stopped the big bad chemcorp from poisoning our children/I stopped the big bad environmentalists from killing jobs". You can't build a re-election campaign on beating up a target your constituents don't care either way about.
  - akg_67 5y ago
    +1 I agree with you. Politicians will get better traction by going after FB for misinformation, AMZN for preventing unionization of workers. Outside the tech, there is very little ill-will in general public against Apple. Imo, even Microsoft had more ill-will in general public during it's antitrust issues.
  - tonypace 5y ago
    Remember the Templars. What Apple is in danger of becoming is a very wealthy Pinata that nobody feels bad for when you hit it. Developing that kind of reputation can be existentially bad for an organization.
    - Razengan 5y ago
      > that nobody feels bad for Nobody except Apple’s legions of fans and loyal customers. Only the predatory companies who salivate about exploiting those users are so eager for any chance to cut down the tall poppy.
      - tonypace 5y ago
        That's what made the on-device policing effort so incomprehensible. Doing battle for privacy is their armor.

by m12k 5y ago

zarzavat 5y ago

Not sure that a no-compromises approach is good politics in the long term. Politicians love to have easy targets as it deflects from their own failings. As the largest US company, Apple is the juiciest of low-hanging fruit already for their financial and tax arrangements, the last thing they need is to become antitrust public enemy No 1 as well.

vkou 5y ago
Politicians may love to have easy targets, but they are going to have a hard time getting the public to care that they've reduced Apple's app store cut to 10% or something something walled gardens or something something encryption or whatever. Nobody outside of tech cares very much about these issue. You can build your re-election campaign on "I stopped the big bad chemcorp from poisoning our children/I stopped the big bad environmentalists from killing jobs". You can't build a re-election campaign on beating up a target your constituents don't care either way about.
- akg_67 5y ago
  +1 I agree with you. Politicians will get better traction by going after FB for misinformation, AMZN for preventing unionization of workers. Outside the tech, there is very little ill-will in general public against Apple. Imo, even Microsoft had more ill-will in general public during it's antitrust issues.
- tonypace 5y ago
  Remember the Templars. What Apple is in danger of becoming is a very wealthy Pinata that nobody feels bad for when you hit it. Developing that kind of reputation can be existentially bad for an organization.
  - Razengan 5y ago
    > that nobody feels bad for Nobody except Apple’s legions of fans and loyal customers. Only the predatory companies who salivate about exploiting those users are so eager for any chance to cut down the tall poppy.
    - tonypace 5y ago
      That's what made the on-device policing effort so incomprehensible. Doing battle for privacy is their armor.