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In the long run the open market doesn't behave independently rational and doesn't 'win' anything -- it simply is. If Apple wasn't forcing the larger industry t

by nupark2 14y ago

In the long run the open market doesn't behave independently rational and doesn't 'win' anything -- it simply is. If Apple wasn't forcing the larger industry to learn how to turn a profit by putting users first, the market would simply saturate the app store with whatever existent concepts are popular today. Remember, prior to iOS, the Mac OS X market was both cry user friendly and very insular. Now, iOS has gone mainstream, but Apple's user-friendly focus hasn't (yet?). Of course, your open market does still exist -- users can choose Android, which thrives on the notion of 'user choice'.

bad_user 14y ago
Of course, your open market does still exist -- users can choose Android, which thrives on the notion of 'user choice'. That's one reason why I, as a consumer, chose Android in the first place. When I decided to buy a smartphone, I wanted one that allowed me to block calls and SMS messages completely, without leaving traces in the calls/sms logs. I wanted this because somehow my number ended up on a lot of spam lists and a smartphone should be smart about these things, right? If my email address is protected by spam filters, it should be a no-brainer for my smartphone to do the same for calls and SMS. Imagine my surprise when I found out that such apps are banned from the iTunes App Store and that the only way to get such functionality on iOS was for me to root it and install software through Cydia. And why should I as a consumer go through so many hoops to use such software, when the company (that receives my money in the process) is actively hostile to my use case, a use case which is in no way immoral or unjustified. When it comes to Android, building an app that blocks calls and SMS messages is still hard, as the APIs you have to rely on are private and keep changing, so the results are unpredictable. But upon a search on Google Play, I did find one that works well, installed with a single click. And I didn't have to root my phone. Now that's what openness gets you - user experience is important, but it's all for nothing if the apps allowed don't solve your real problems.

by nupark2 14y ago

bad_user 14y ago

Of course, your open market does still exist -- users can choose Android, which thrives on the notion of 'user choice'. That's one reason why I, as a consumer, chose Android in the first place. When I decided to buy a smartphone, I wanted one that allowed me to block calls and SMS messages completely, without leaving traces in the calls/sms logs. I wanted this because somehow my number ended up on a lot of spam lists and a smartphone should be smart about these things, right? If my email address is protected by spam filters, it should be a no-brainer for my smartphone to do the same for calls and SMS. Imagine my surprise when I found out that such apps are banned from the iTunes App Store and that the only way to get such functionality on iOS was for me to root it and install software through Cydia. And why should I as a consumer go through so many hoops to use such software, when the company (that receives my money in the process) is actively hostile to my use case, a use case which is in no way immoral or unjustified. When it comes to Android, building an app that blocks calls and SMS messages is still hard, as the APIs you have to rely on are private and keep changing, so the results are unpredictable. But upon a search on Google Play, I did find one that works well, installed with a single click. And I didn't have to root my phone. Now that's what openness gets you - user experience is important, but it's all for nothing if the apps allowed don't solve your real problems.