Apple execs have pissed me off -- and I'm fricking fed up!
First, they've joined some lawsuits against Microsoft on alleged antitrust violations or testified against Microsoft in other immoral lawsuits.
Second, in the last month they've added coding to the iPhone to prevent "jail-breaking," which means that people like me cannot download coding for our phones to get them to do what they already should do, such as having two or more programs up on the phone at one time. That same coding is now on the iPad, which went on sale today in stores, meaning that you can't be checking email and have another browser window open at the same time. This is simply barbaric (so 20th century) and anachronistic that it boggles the mind.
Third, Apple refuses to allow Flash video capability on its iPad, which means that the predominance of videos on the Internet simply can't be played on the iPad.
Fourth, Apple made AT&T its exclusive dealer for the iPhone for three years. This reaped billions of dollars for Apple and forced us consumers to be stuck with the wretched AT&T if we were to have our cherished iPhone.
Fifth, Apple's contract with AT&T allows AT&T to basically charge double for data sending, because you cannot use your iPhone data plan on your iPad. You have to buy another data service. Insane!
Sixth (and this is the most egregious), Apple has used the clout it will inevitably have with the iPad to get book publishers to agree to a new pricing plan for new e-books, increasing the minimum price on e-books to $12.99 from $9.99, which Amazon has amazingly been charging for years. Even Amazon had to buckle to the new competition, which ironically has increased prices instead of decreasing, which usually happens with more competition. The reason for this is that Apple is demanding a bigger profit off the sales (30%). The book publishers will make a tad more, but they like the new price because it's closer to hardback prices, thereby giving e-book readers less incentive to buy the less-profitable e-books. Apple wins; we consumers lose.
So, fuck you, Steve Jobs. And fuck the iPad you rode in on. I'm fed up. You are thankfully free to do as you please with your products, and I'm am miraculously still free to give you the finger and walk away.
Get back to me when you regain your senses, defenestrate pragmatics and put the consumer first.
2 comments:
Without disputing in any way the valid points you make, I thought you might find interesting
Jobs' response to the Flash controversy.
I'm not an Apple fanatic, but I am glad for any competition the Kindle receives. Eventually, it will drive the device down to a price I can afford and keep the innovation going.
Best of luck on your business venture.
Jeff
Hey Jeff. Yes, I read Jobs' explanation on Flash in the Wall Street Journal. I think it's bogus, as does the chief of Adobe. I think Jobs is just after proprietary stuff with Apple's own tech. That's fine, of course, but in this case I don't think it's good for us consumers.
Yeah, I've had my Kindle for 1.5 years and love it, but the iPad can be read in a dark room and has other advantages that I love. I agree that Amazon will have to reduce the price of the Kindle soon.
Also, what Jobs did to the price market on books REALLY pisses me off. It's the first time within memory I can think of a new competitor to any field actually causing the prices of related products to increase!!!!!
I can't even express how unhappy I am with Jobs. I can well understand why the chief of Amazon is so pissed off about all this.
Hope you're well.
Take care.
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