4 ms·

> Apple needs serious competition. And that won't happen with their massive scale until regulators Regulators are the worst way to create competition. Apple ha

> Apple needs serious competition. And that won't happen with their massive scale until regulators Regulators are the worst way to create competition. Apple has extremely serious competition in the form of Android. iPhone's global market share just hit its highest ever, at 20.1%[0]. > The largest companies are barely innovating at all If you don't see any mobile phone innovation that's happened, I don't know what to tell you. Go back only 20 years and you'll see an incredible difference. [0] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/01/apple-hits-all-time-high-smartphone-market-share-takes-1-spot-for-2023 https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/01/apple-hits-all-time-...

echelon 3y ago
> Regulators are the worst way to create competition. Complete and utter hogwash! > Apple has extremely serious competition in the form of Android. This is a duopoly of devices, and you are forced to buy into their fiefdoms. Each company taxes every single form of commerce, transaction, and customer connection on their devices. Devices that have become the most essential piece of operating as a person in this century. Smartphones are used to navigate, take photos, find dates, order food (at restaurants!), pay at point of sale, schedule events, network, email, do work, find jobs, order kitchen supplies, do workouts, ... These are more important than the internet itself at this point, and there are only two companies. They choose what you can do, what you can deploy, when you can deploy, what tech you can use, and they tax you 30%. You have to fit into their payments and login stack, jump through their upgrade hurdles, and they're nice enough to let competitors place ads against you. I won't even begin to speak towards the insane anti-consumer behavior they have, like green bubble fomo for children and 3rd party parts DRMing. These devices - smartphones - need to be regulated with the force of every country's legal and judicial power. > iPhone's global market share just hit its highest ever, at 20.1%[0]. It's over 50% in the US, and they're egregious to US businesses and consumers.
- ffgjgf1 3y ago
  Apple might be doing some things which are beneficial for the society as a whole and would increase the level of competition in the industry, like trying to invalidate this specific patent, while also engaging in very abusive practices themselves (like the app store “monopoly”, ignoring repairability etc.). These things are certainly not mutually exclusive
- robertlagrant 3y ago
  > Devices that have become the most essential piece of operating as a person in this century. Because of the companies you say are "barely innovating at all". Schrödinger would like a word. > Each company taxes every single form of commerce, transaction, and customer connection on their devices. Devices that have become the most essential piece of operating as a person in this century. You're conflating the device being essential (well, useful, not essential) with the apps. My banking app is free, for example, or any shopping apps I have. How many of these essential apps are paid? > They choose what you can do, what you can deploy, when you can deploy, what tech you can use, and they tax you 30%. You're thinking of governments. You choose to buy a phone as a convenience value add to your life. You must pay 30% in tax, regardless of what you get back. > These are more important than the internet itself at this point They aren't. They need the internet to work. And you can do lots of nonessentials with them, but lots of essential things can be done with a Web browser, and if a service is locked behind an app store, that's a service delivery problem, not an app store problem. > there are only two companies There aren't only two companies. There are lots of companies making phones. There are two main OSes though, it's true. And with those, nothing stops anyone creating a third, e.g. PinePhone, except ability and financial environment.

echelon 3y ago

> Regulators are the worst way to create competition. Complete and utter hogwash! > Apple has extremely serious competition in the form of Android. This is a duopoly of devices, and you are forced to buy into their fiefdoms. Each company taxes every single form of commerce, transaction, and customer connection on their devices. Devices that have become the most essential piece of operating as a person in this century. Smartphones are used to navigate, take photos, find dates, order food (at restaurants!), pay at point of sale, schedule events, network, email, do work, find jobs, order kitchen supplies, do workouts, ... These are more important than the internet itself at this point, and there are only two companies. They choose what you can do, what you can deploy, when you can deploy, what tech you can use, and they tax you 30%. You have to fit into their payments and login stack, jump through their upgrade hurdles, and they're nice enough to let competitors place ads against you. I won't even begin to speak towards the insane anti-consumer behavior they have, like green bubble fomo for children and 3rd party parts DRMing. These devices - smartphones - need to be regulated with the force of every country's legal and judicial power. > iPhone's global market share just hit its highest ever, at 20.1%[0]. It's over 50% in the US, and they're egregious to US businesses and consumers.

ffgjgf1 3y ago
Apple might be doing some things which are beneficial for the society as a whole and would increase the level of competition in the industry, like trying to invalidate this specific patent, while also engaging in very abusive practices themselves (like the app store “monopoly”, ignoring repairability etc.). These things are certainly not mutually exclusive
robertlagrant 3y ago
> Devices that have become the most essential piece of operating as a person in this century. Because of the companies you say are "barely innovating at all". Schrödinger would like a word. > Each company taxes every single form of commerce, transaction, and customer connection on their devices. Devices that have become the most essential piece of operating as a person in this century. You're conflating the device being essential (well, useful, not essential) with the apps. My banking app is free, for example, or any shopping apps I have. How many of these essential apps are paid? > They choose what you can do, what you can deploy, when you can deploy, what tech you can use, and they tax you 30%. You're thinking of governments. You choose to buy a phone as a convenience value add to your life. You must pay 30% in tax, regardless of what you get back. > These are more important than the internet itself at this point They aren't. They need the internet to work. And you can do lots of nonessentials with them, but lots of essential things can be done with a Web browser, and if a service is locked behind an app store, that's a service delivery problem, not an app store problem. > there are only two companies There aren't only two companies. There are lots of companies making phones. There are two main OSes though, it's true. And with those, nothing stops anyone creating a third, e.g. PinePhone, except ability and financial environment.