4 ms·

Explain the reasoning why one company has the right to limit your freedoms while another doesn't? If you look at the specific examples Marco spelled out (" reg

Explain the reasoning why one company has the right to limit your freedoms while another doesn't? If you look at the specific examples Marco spelled out (" region locks and unskippable screens and encryption and criminalization of fair use.") those are restrictions that benefit only the studios and inconvenience the customer. The iOS restrictions Apple propagates benefit Apple, but for many customers (not HN types) they are beneficial. It's a fine line, and Apple has had their share of jackboot actions but it can be argued that it's not exactly the same. As for Apple defending Apple policies, I'd bet most of those examples demonstrate the benefit to consumers. (and has he defended the really egregious Apple missteps, like the security officer pretending to be a police officer?)

kapitalx 15y ago
Your comparison is invalid. Apple's bootloader locks are a better comparison (Not referring to SIM lock which is provider mandated). Or the fact that you can't change batteries on your devices? Seems to me the purpose behind that is for you to change your device when the battery can't hold a good enough charge instead of just changing the batteries! How does that benefit the consumer? HTC removes bootloader locks: http://www.pcworld.com/article/228823/htc_ends_locked_bootloader_policy.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/228823/htc_ends_locked_bootlo...
- eurleif 15y ago
  I believe Apple's stated reason for the battery thing is that the mechanism for making a battery removable takes up a lot of space, and by getting rid of it, they can make the actual battery bigger.
  - api 15y ago
    That is true, and you can replace the battery. Doing so voids your warranty, but by the time your Li-Polymer battery no longer holds a charge your laptop will be out of warranty anyway, even with AppleCare. All you need is a screwdriver. But Apple does support a lot of draconian IP policy. I think they're in need of a whipping over this.
- atonse 15y ago
  Non-removable batteries are an extreme edge case that simply don't adversely affect most consumers. In fact, they benefit most consumers with increased battery life. I've never met a single person that actually used this feature (most people I know have their laptops plugged in most of the time). On the other hand, I'd consider content DRM as a non-edge-case that does harm and affect a majority of consumers. Let's not allow the noise of such edge-case complaints distract from more relevant restrictions that DO hurt consumers on a daily basis, like content DRM. I've had multiple relatives show fear of plugging in their iPods because iTunes wipes out their iPod. My wife refused to plug in her iPod to her new laptop because she felt she'd lose the episodes she had bought on the iPod itself. And that's not an irrational fear. Even I had it before iCloud enabled you to redownload all your purchased content.
  - technomancy 15y ago
    > I've never met a single person that actually used this feature (most people I know have their laptops plugged in most of the time). I think he's talking about non-removable batteries in phones and iPods.
- mikeklaas 15y ago
  Macbook Pros went from 5 to 7-8 hours usual time on a charge by making the batteries non-(trivially) removable. You can also pay a modest fee to have the battery replaced, so there's no need to replace your device, as you suggest.
rmc 15y ago
Apple also do a lot of these kinds of region locking restrictions, like locking iPhones to certain regions. Now iPhones are released in many many countries. But when it was just USA, people in the EU would be breaking the region locking to use an iPhone they bought in the USA.

kapitalx 15y ago

Your comparison is invalid. Apple's bootloader locks are a better comparison (Not referring to SIM lock which is provider mandated). Or the fact that you can't change batteries on your devices? Seems to me the purpose behind that is for you to change your device when the battery can't hold a good enough charge instead of just changing the batteries! How does that benefit the consumer? HTC removes bootloader locks: http://www.pcworld.com/article/228823/htc_ends_locked_bootloader_policy.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/228823/htc_ends_locked_bootlo...

eurleif 15y ago
I believe Apple's stated reason for the battery thing is that the mechanism for making a battery removable takes up a lot of space, and by getting rid of it, they can make the actual battery bigger.
- api 15y ago
  That is true, and you can replace the battery. Doing so voids your warranty, but by the time your Li-Polymer battery no longer holds a charge your laptop will be out of warranty anyway, even with AppleCare. All you need is a screwdriver. But Apple does support a lot of draconian IP policy. I think they're in need of a whipping over this.
atonse 15y ago
Non-removable batteries are an extreme edge case that simply don't adversely affect most consumers. In fact, they benefit most consumers with increased battery life. I've never met a single person that actually used this feature (most people I know have their laptops plugged in most of the time). On the other hand, I'd consider content DRM as a non-edge-case that does harm and affect a majority of consumers. Let's not allow the noise of such edge-case complaints distract from more relevant restrictions that DO hurt consumers on a daily basis, like content DRM. I've had multiple relatives show fear of plugging in their iPods because iTunes wipes out their iPod. My wife refused to plug in her iPod to her new laptop because she felt she'd lose the episodes she had bought on the iPod itself. And that's not an irrational fear. Even I had it before iCloud enabled you to redownload all your purchased content.
- technomancy 15y ago
  > I've never met a single person that actually used this feature (most people I know have their laptops plugged in most of the time). I think he's talking about non-removable batteries in phones and iPods.
mikeklaas 15y ago
Macbook Pros went from 5 to 7-8 hours usual time on a charge by making the batteries non-(trivially) removable. You can also pay a modest fee to have the battery replaced, so there's no need to replace your device, as you suggest.

rmc 15y ago

Apple also do a lot of these kinds of region locking restrictions, like locking iPhones to certain regions. Now iPhones are released in many many countries. But when it was just USA, people in the EU would be breaking the region locking to use an iPhone they bought in the USA.