4 ms·

Micropayments: death by a thousand cuts. Mark my words.

icey 18y ago
Well, that's kind of the nice thing about capitalism. If you don't like it, vote (or rather don't vote) with your wallet.
- asciilifeform 18y ago
  This would be true in a market driven by competition between near-equals. The iPhone does not live in such a market. It has no competition. It is a qualitatively different product from other mobile phones. The cell phone market is divided into two categories: the iPhone, and inferior crud. If Apple were to begin charging $0.05 per "click", you would have to cough up the dough or switch to a vastly inferior product. Therefore, your ability to "vote" with your money is academic in this case.
  - icey 18y ago
    Don't you think that a decision to begin charging 5 cents per click would significantly reduce the perceived quality of the iPhone? I know it may be hard to believe, but we're just talking about cellphones here; I'm sure Apple is aware of the fact that doing something like that would be suicide in a very competitive market.
  - GHFigs 18y ago
    You're conflating the third party iPhone application market (which can now use micropayments) with the cell phone market as a whole. That's very odd.
    - asciilifeform 18y ago
      Micropayments could easily become a standard, expected part of iPhone use. In that case, there will be no escape. I suspect that this is the reason why Apple users complain about (even potential!) misfeatures to the extent they do. In the product categories where Apple is a player, from the standpoint of a dedicated Apple user, they have zero competition. All of the supposedly competing products are far below the quality-of-user-experience Apple users are accustomed to. Hence the perception that there is nowhere to run to.
      - GHFigs 18y ago
        Micropayments could easily become a standard, expected part of iPhone use. Given how everything else you've said hinges on this assumption, you'd have done well to explain why you think it is true. Like I said before, you're conflating two markets. As it depends on all players in a highly competitive market suddenly colluding to degrade the user experience upon which they all depend without anyone realizing that they might stand to make more money by not doing so, I find it hard to believe.
        asciilifeform 18y ago
        > degrade the user experience upon which they all depend... I find it hard to believe. Try this on for size: http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2008/11/apple-brings-hdcp-to-a-new-aluminum-macbook-near-you.ars http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2008/11/apple-brings-hdcp-...
        GHFigs 18y ago
        That doesn't relate at all to anything I've said, nor does it reinforce your point in the slightest. Your powers of misinterpretation are astounding and I hope that in the future you will refrain from commenting anywhere on anything.
        asciilifeform 18y ago
        The linked article shows an instance of Apple unambiguously, deliberately degrading user experience. It is highly relevant to this discussion.
        GHFigs 18y ago
        That's not a discussion that any of my posts in this thread have been about.

icey 18y ago

Well, that's kind of the nice thing about capitalism. If you don't like it, vote (or rather don't vote) with your wallet.

asciilifeform 18y ago
This would be true in a market driven by competition between near-equals. The iPhone does not live in such a market. It has no competition. It is a qualitatively different product from other mobile phones. The cell phone market is divided into two categories: the iPhone, and inferior crud. If Apple were to begin charging $0.05 per "click", you would have to cough up the dough or switch to a vastly inferior product. Therefore, your ability to "vote" with your money is academic in this case.
- icey 18y ago
  Don't you think that a decision to begin charging 5 cents per click would significantly reduce the perceived quality of the iPhone? I know it may be hard to believe, but we're just talking about cellphones here; I'm sure Apple is aware of the fact that doing something like that would be suicide in a very competitive market.
- GHFigs 18y ago
  You're conflating the third party iPhone application market (which can now use micropayments) with the cell phone market as a whole. That's very odd.
  - asciilifeform 18y ago
    Micropayments could easily become a standard, expected part of iPhone use. In that case, there will be no escape. I suspect that this is the reason why Apple users complain about (even potential!) misfeatures to the extent they do. In the product categories where Apple is a player, from the standpoint of a dedicated Apple user, they have zero competition. All of the supposedly competing products are far below the quality-of-user-experience Apple users are accustomed to. Hence the perception that there is nowhere to run to.
    - GHFigs 18y ago
      Micropayments could easily become a standard, expected part of iPhone use. Given how everything else you've said hinges on this assumption, you'd have done well to explain why you think it is true. Like I said before, you're conflating two markets. As it depends on all players in a highly competitive market suddenly colluding to degrade the user experience upon which they all depend without anyone realizing that they might stand to make more money by not doing so, I find it hard to believe.
      - asciilifeform 18y ago
        > degrade the user experience upon which they all depend... I find it hard to believe. Try this on for size: http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2008/11/apple-brings-hdcp-to-a-new-aluminum-macbook-near-you.ars http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2008/11/apple-brings-hdcp-...
        GHFigs 18y ago
        That doesn't relate at all to anything I've said, nor does it reinforce your point in the slightest. Your powers of misinterpretation are astounding and I hope that in the future you will refrain from commenting anywhere on anything.
        asciilifeform 18y ago
        The linked article shows an instance of Apple unambiguously, deliberately degrading user experience. It is highly relevant to this discussion.
        GHFigs 18y ago
        That's not a discussion that any of my posts in this thread have been about.