An interesting NYT Bits blog entry covers Opera's mobile browser. Buried in the middle of the article is this quote: "Opera's engineers have developed a version of Opera Mini that can run on an Apple iPhone, but Apple won't let the company release it because it competes with Apple's own Safari browser." It also talks about Opera on the Wii and browsers in cars. A good read. My Take: But back to the iPhone. As tempted as I am to just shrug it off, since Apple is free to run its App Store any way it pleases, as an enthusiastic iPhone user, I think Apple is shooting itself in the foot here, as it is with all the "competitive" apps being rejected. Apple does stand to lose some Google revenue by letting people use other browsers, but they have much more to gain by unleashing the creativity of the developer community and giving them the freedom to improve or replace core iPhone functionality. Hopefully competition from Android forces them to wake up.
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Member since:2006-12-16
Yeah, well. There's a reason why I've been saying that Apple is a bastard company, a far worse monopolist than Microsoft has EVER been. EULAs should be made illegal, and all contracts should be set by a government body. In fact, business should be solely controlled by governments, and not by rick pricks like Steve Jobs.
I give us 50 years max. to continue on the same path of capitalism and government structure before it all collapses.
Dave
Member since:2007-01-22
Member since:2005-11-10
Right because government control works so well everywhere it's ever been tried. There is a reason Socialist countries like the USSR and China under Mao fail and collapse on themselves because governments are incapable of doing much of anything correctly. Market economies are better, including those severly hampered by regulation like every economy currently in existence. Please realize that there does not exist a single country in the world with a free market economy because they are all mixed economies now minus a few socialist relics like Cuba and North Korea. Although even those countries keep themselves from starving through black markets in basic products and services. If you want to understand why government does not work I suggest you read Socialism by Ludwig von Mises written in 1922 which accurately predicted why and how the Soviet Union would collapse economically. It also explains what function prices perform in the economy.
You know you don't have to buy Apple products. There are a lot of alternatives out there. I don't buy Apple products and I get along just fine.
Member since:2008-10-31
It looks like the discussion of whether the state should be involved in business or not has been started in areas other than financial&mortage market!
State intervention isn't evil.
Yes, the state can be misused and even be brought down to its knees that's right but the state can never be as greedy and selfish and egoist centric as an individual and their respective businesses!
Member since:2007-04-06
Not that I am defending Apple here, but if you don't want to use their product, cause you don't agree with their practices, then don't. They are a niche player anyways. I think they are entitled to having their embedded devices (iphone, ipod, AppleTV) as open or as closed as they want.
Full disclosure: I do not use any Apple product. Nor should any student such as me, who are always constrained for cash.
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Member since:
2006-09-30
Because it's an unfair and abusive clause of the EULA.
And in many countries (at least France), it's unfaithful competition and as such illegal.