4 ms·
Apple has over the last 5 years, become EXACTLY what they were making fun of in their first famous commercial. 2nd time I've seen that meme today. The first w
by pohl 15y ago
Apple has over the last 5 years, become EXACTLY what they were making fun of in their first famous commercial.
2nd time I've seen that meme today. The first was from ESR, so I guess you're in good company.
It doesn't sound historically accurate to me. The Ridley Scott commercial "1984" used Big Brother as a caricature of IBM, who had been battling with the DOJ over monopoly practices constantly since 1969. Although that specific suit was dismissed in '82, IBM had a stranglehold on the PC market, and until March '83 they were the only company making them. When the 1984 commercial aired, the first PC-compatible machine had only been on the market for about a year, and it wasn't clear yet that Compaq would be successful in challenging IBM's dominant position. Even those who believed Compaq would be successful would have to admit that the only viable challenger to IBM's dominant position was someone forced to imitate, and not terribly free to innovate.
The commercial was not about patents. Apple filed their first patent in 1977.
Unless you can make a case that the DOJ should go after Apple and that it is difficult for consumers to take their business elsewhere, you'll not be able to make the claim that they have become what that commercial alluded to.
- SODaniel 15y agoWhy would I need to nit-pick patent legislation or ownership to express the opinion that the business model adopted by apple is counter productive, and a fucking joke when you compare their current business model to their 'change the world' model of 80/90s? iTunes, Appstore and OSX being locked to a single hardware base is the most protectionism-based software development to emerge EVER. If you want to argue that on a philosophical basis, 'come at me bro!' I am NOT saying Steve Jobs is not a visionary, a great leader of a company, a fantastic CEO. All I am saying is that I despise the direction that Apple has come to take and I highly dislike this new 'model' of funneling sales. If you take the case of freedom of expression, creativity and freedom. How can you accept a future where all software that wishes to be financially viable being vetted by 2-3 large companies?
- pohl 15y agoApple's "change the world" model has always been about user experience. With the Macintosh the phrase was "the computer for the rest of us". They seek to enable ordinary people to express themselves with usable tools. This vision has unflaggingly informed the trade offs they have chosen, and their current strategy is just a continuation of that. I think you read too much into that commercial. They have never been militant freedomistas. That's RMS's shtick. It does not bother me that you disagree with the tradeoffs they have chosen. Let's not revise history to make a point, though.