I quote Leo Laporte:
What if you bought a computer that you couldn’t install any of your own applications on? (Stupid, I know, but what if?)
What if that computer required you to sign up for two years Internet service with one particular company, and prohibited using any other ISP? (Not that the ISP subsidized the price or anything - the computer wasn’t cheap.)
What if some bright guys came along and figured out how to install your own applications on the computer? And then showed you how to choose your own ISP? You’d do it, right? I mean, why not, it’s your computer. But wait.
What if the company that made the computer sent down an update that checked to see if you had installed your own applications and deleted them if so?
What if that same update checked to see if you were using the required ISP, and if you weren’t turned the computer into a useless, unfixable, piece of glass and plastic?
Would you ever buy a computer from that company again?
Would you ever trust a company like that again?
I agree with Leo completely. Steve, what are you doing? Bricking (rendering something as useful as a brick) people’s personal electronics won’t encourage Macintosh converts. It’s very unwise to anger your enthusiastic base, for they may stop recommending your products. Unfortunately, we may be seeing the true face of Apple now. I’ll be mollified momentarily when Mac OS X Leopard premiers this month, but Apple may be heading down a dangerous road. It’s worrisome and disappointing; no company can ever be perfect.
As they say on superdeluxe.com, “Cut the crap!”
Any corporation, including apple(but possibly excluding Mozilla), is similar to an animal. You can only expect an animal to do what is best for itself. You can only expect a corporation to do what is best for it’s profits.
Gotta keep the shareholders happy. Except, I don’t think this is good for its shareholders at all! Disabling a $400 device that your costumer bought doesn’t make him or her happy. Don’t piss off the Macintosh zealots, they’re the ones that convert their friends. And although I don’t consider myself a zealot, I believe speak from personal experience. I’ve converted quite a few.
I’m not saying this is a good move. It would look nice on paper. Money people aren’t spending on iTunes ringtones is money lost, from apple’s perspective. They didn’t consider that they might be breaking the back of their only strength in the industry.
The iTunes ringtones are nothing. The interesting aspect of Apple’s deal with AT&T is that Apple gets a cut of AT&T’s revenue. Thus, if the iPhone users aren’t using AT&T, Apple is losing money.
That actually makes more sense than what i said.