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The older I get, the more certain I am that Apple products are designed from the ground-up as ad-watching appliances. On iPad, you're restricted to a sandboxed

The older I get, the more certain I am that Apple products are designed from the ground-up as ad-watching appliances. On iPad, you're restricted to a sandboxed environment where you are not encouraged (or in many cases, allowed) to do anything other than watch ads. You cannot sideload apps that are Open Source. You cannot install emulators or fullspeed VM software. You cannot switch the browser out for one you would prefer with controls amenable to your satisfaction. You watch ads, because any holistic path to entertaining yourself is either sold by Apple or monetized through advertisements. On every Apple platform. I remember watching those "what's a computer?" ads and laughing out loud. Yeah, what is a computer? We've gone so long watching YouTube ads and Music.ly sponsored content that half of us don't even know what one is. Are we even still connected, when companies like Apple mediate how we're allowed to communicate with each other and share ideas? Apple's design for a bicycle for the mind has been repurposed into a flywheel for cash generation. I don't meet a single person "riding" their iPhone anywhere more important than Pornhub or Instagram.

diggan 2y ago
> You cannot sideload apps that are Open Source. You cannot install emulators or fullspeed VM software. You cannot switch the browser out for one you would prefer with controls amenable to your satisfaction. Worth noting that while this used to be true, those things are now/soon geofenced features that only Europeans get to enjoy. Too bad if you happen to live in the home country of Apple.
- talldayo 2y ago
  I don't believe you're allowed to run fullspeed VM software or JIT-enabled browsers, even with the DMA. Nothing has been super set-in-stone yet, but those are the terms Apple is intent on promoting.
  - diggan 2y ago
    The intention is for people to be able to run whatever software they want, and Apple is currently figuring out if EU wants Apple to follow the intent of the law, or the letter. We'll see how it goes but I wouldn't hold my breath for Apple to get their will.
  - cyberax 2y ago
    > I don't believe you're allowed to run fullspeed VM software or JIT-enabled browsers, even with the DMA. You can. There's a new JIT entitlement for web browsers in Europe. It's still limited to _only_ browsers, so emulators are out of luck.
FabHK 2y ago
> Apple products are designed from the ground-up as ad-watching appliances. That’s funny. I have virtually no ads on my Apple devices. I associate ads with Windows and Android. And I have several browsers on my iPad, one reason being avoiding ads.
- talldayo 2y ago
  > I have virtually no ads on my Apple devices. Virtually. It's great when you log into iCloud and only have to deal with the App Store's "Suggested Content" and the Google suggested results in Spotlight Search and the misery of the default YouTube client running 30s midroll ads. Then you can make the little storage nag go away with a convenient $2.99/month payment addressable to Apple Inc. Oh, you wanted sideloading? That's to the tune of $99/year... can't pass off the SDK for free, can you? We'll assume you ignore Apple Music, although it will certainly nag you to try it. For cloud storage and basic sideloading capabilities, Apple will charge you $11.24/month for basic features of the phone you bought and still treat you like garbage. The premium brand-halo surrounding their products is the well-documented Reality Distortion Effect - you are being fooled into defending nonsense because you think this grifting benefits you. To be clear, I think Android and Windows both suffer from similar problems, but their users aren't fooled because it's explicit. Apple uniquely abuses their position as OEM, and the problem literally extends to them advertising to their users and convincing them it's harmless when Apple does it. If you don't understand it by now, just read the affidavit once the FTC wraps up their case. > And I have several browsers on my iPad, one reason being avoiding ads. You have one browser, with multiple interfaces. When Apple serves you boot, your browsers have no choice but to lick.
  - concinds 2y ago
    Sideloading is free (no need for a developer program subscription) and cloud storage isn't a "basic feature of the phone you bought".
    - talldayo 2y ago
      > Sideloading is free Not if you want the nag to go away > and cloud storage isn't a "basic feature of the phone you bought" I agree, but Apple thinks otherwise if you want the Settings nag to go away.

diggan 2y ago

> You cannot sideload apps that are Open Source. You cannot install emulators or fullspeed VM software. You cannot switch the browser out for one you would prefer with controls amenable to your satisfaction. Worth noting that while this used to be true, those things are now/soon geofenced features that only Europeans get to enjoy. Too bad if you happen to live in the home country of Apple.

talldayo 2y ago
I don't believe you're allowed to run fullspeed VM software or JIT-enabled browsers, even with the DMA. Nothing has been super set-in-stone yet, but those are the terms Apple is intent on promoting.
- diggan 2y ago
  The intention is for people to be able to run whatever software they want, and Apple is currently figuring out if EU wants Apple to follow the intent of the law, or the letter. We'll see how it goes but I wouldn't hold my breath for Apple to get their will.
- cyberax 2y ago
  > I don't believe you're allowed to run fullspeed VM software or JIT-enabled browsers, even with the DMA. You can. There's a new JIT entitlement for web browsers in Europe. It's still limited to _only_ browsers, so emulators are out of luck.

FabHK 2y ago

> Apple products are designed from the ground-up as ad-watching appliances. That’s funny. I have virtually no ads on my Apple devices. I associate ads with Windows and Android. And I have several browsers on my iPad, one reason being avoiding ads.

talldayo 2y ago
> I have virtually no ads on my Apple devices. Virtually. It's great when you log into iCloud and only have to deal with the App Store's "Suggested Content" and the Google suggested results in Spotlight Search and the misery of the default YouTube client running 30s midroll ads. Then you can make the little storage nag go away with a convenient $2.99/month payment addressable to Apple Inc. Oh, you wanted sideloading? That's to the tune of $99/year... can't pass off the SDK for free, can you? We'll assume you ignore Apple Music, although it will certainly nag you to try it. For cloud storage and basic sideloading capabilities, Apple will charge you $11.24/month for basic features of the phone you bought and still treat you like garbage. The premium brand-halo surrounding their products is the well-documented Reality Distortion Effect - you are being fooled into defending nonsense because you think this grifting benefits you. To be clear, I think Android and Windows both suffer from similar problems, but their users aren't fooled because it's explicit. Apple uniquely abuses their position as OEM, and the problem literally extends to them advertising to their users and convincing them it's harmless when Apple does it. If you don't understand it by now, just read the affidavit once the FTC wraps up their case. > And I have several browsers on my iPad, one reason being avoiding ads. You have one browser, with multiple interfaces. When Apple serves you boot, your browsers have no choice but to lick.
- concinds 2y ago
  Sideloading is free (no need for a developer program subscription) and cloud storage isn't a "basic feature of the phone you bought".
  - talldayo 2y ago
    > Sideloading is free Not if you want the nag to go away > and cloud storage isn't a "basic feature of the phone you bought" I agree, but Apple thinks otherwise if you want the Settings nag to go away.