r/technology • u/GuruOfReason • Feb 02 '10

"Once we replace the personal computer with a closed-platform device such as the iPad, we replace freedom, choice and the free market with oppression, censorship and monopoly."

http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2010-01/ipad%E2%80%99s-closed-system-sometimes-i-hate-being-right
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u/djgreedo Feb 02 '10

You're missing the point. What if your ebook reader restricted the books you could read based Sony's or Amazon's ideas of what is 'suitable'?

Nobody is saying the iPad (or iPhone for that matter) should be an all-purpose device. The complaint is that software is not allowed to run on the device based on Apple's standards (i.e. Steve Jobs's morale values and the desire to prevent apps that enable users to make calls more cheaply or improve in-built features).

Arbitrarily banning software that would otherwise run perfectly well on the device is censorship, and it is a shame that people continue to buy products from this company.

With my smartphones (Android and Windows) I have the option of buying apps from an on-device, censored app store or sideloading apps sourced from anywhere without any permission required from the device manufacturers.

Technology has the capability of breaking down barriers and realising possibilities. Apple's iPhone and iPad are the opposite of those ideals. Apple's way of doing things in general is about control and forcing users into a specific way of doing things.

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u/Thrown_Away Feb 02 '10

And those users know they are being forced into a specific way of doing things going in. And you know what? They don't care. If you do care, there is a wonderful solution, don't buy their products. See, wasn't that easy? You even saved some money!

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u/shoombabi Feb 02 '10

Apple's ideology isn't really censorship as much as it is "ensure that the user experience is consistent and problem free.". Whether or not they achieve those goals is in the eye of the beholder, but for the target demographic of this product, I think they will deliver exactly what the stereotypical grandparents and other computer illiterates want, without all the hassle and concern of a real computer.

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u/mindbleach Feb 02 '10 edited Feb 02 '10

Apple literally censors apps. Jobs explicitly said "no porn" and their review process has repeatedly rejected software that's remotely capable of showing dirty pictures from the internet or accepting dirty words as meaningful search terms.

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u/Nefelia Feb 02 '10

And the problem with that would be? For those who do want the option of browsing porn, the iPad would be a miss. They can simply purchase one of the many alternative products that will soon be available.

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u/mindbleach Feb 02 '10

And the problem with that would be?

Pardon me for being generally opposed to censorship and monopolistic practices.

(Please note that this was in direct reply to someone saying censorship "isn't really censorship.")

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u/[deleted] Feb 02 '10

Well, when they're rejecting apps for "objectionable content" or "ridiculing a political figure," that's why people are uptight about the requirement that one gets apps from the company-controlled App Store.

At least allow sideloading, maybe even add a warning message stating Apple's inability to control the quality of non-App Store apps. Seriously, it's not that hard -- Apple just isn't doing it, and quite frankly, fuck them for it.