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Curiously, how oblivious were you to how parties worked in college or what they were for

I don't see this as being the same at all.

In this case, someone posts their location on Facebook (which I think is kinda dumb) only to have Four Square pick it up, and then have an app scrape that, and then give a bunch of people their current location and personal information.

Reading this, it sounds far more creepy than "hey, she's out in public at a bar she must want to meet people, maybe I'll go introducce myself".

Now, if they didn't post and didn't have it public, it wouldn't happen. But that doesn't make me any less creeped out about how the app worked and how it was advertised.

I bet it honestly never occured to the guys who did this thing that someone might use it for creepy stuff.

Yeah, no, they knew exactly what it was. Just look at the loading screen:

http://www.cultofmac.com/157641/this-creepy-app-isnt-just-stalking-women-without-their-knowledge-its-a-wake-up-call-about-facebook-privacy/

And honestly, if there is a defect from the manufacturer, they could give you a lifetime warranty and it wont make a difference, it will be found in the first 30 days 99% of the time, after that, it probably isn't a manufacturer defect. These aren't cars. There are no 'moving parts' outside of a few fans and a hard drive.

Several generations of white Macbooks released in 2006-2007 were prone to cracks in the casing, definitely a design/manufacturing defect. Apple would attempt repairs even outside the standard 1-year (in the US) warranty. It was even possible, after several repair attempts, that they replace it with the latest-generation Macbook.

I myself got a free Macbook battery replacement 4 years after purchase. Granted it was bulging (a rarer but also-known defect) and they probably exchanged it free for safety/liability reasons.

Acts like these are partly why my next laptop will still be from Apple.

It would have:

1. Nokia's excellent call quality

2. Great camera like Nokia's latest 41 megapixel phone with a huge sensor

3. Replaceable battery.

4. Nice, open Linux setup with easy API (like WebOS HTML/Javascript).

5. WebOS-style UI (especially cards)

6. Not needing to be tied into an account like Google/Android or iPhone/Apple in order to simply use it.

You are allowed to compete with Apple's own apps on functionality. What you're not allowed to do is to copy the UI of one of Apple's Apps. That's the reason Evi have been asked to change. Because the UI is too much of a Siri copy.

Yes because only Apple is allowed to shamelessly copy other's work

The app in question is in the Mac App Store, so the developer has explicitly accepted the same agreement as I have stating that Apple is free to do these things.

You are allowed to compete with Apple's own apps on functionality. What you're not allowed to do is to copy the UI of one of Apple's Apps. That's the reason Evi have been asked to change. Because the UI is too much of a Siri copy.

Yes because only Apple is allowed to shamelessly copy other's work

Here you go. Also he never used a license plate. Supposedly it was due to some imagined loophole in the law. But I think it is clear that laws don't apply to everyone equally.

This is why I continue to say:

Microsoft is a software company that doesn't understand hardware, and is learning about user experience.
Sony is a hardware company that doesn't understand software NOR user experience
Apple is a company that understands hardware, software, and user experience. They are not perfect but were the first to understand that the "Out-of-the Box" experience should be the highest priority. Sadly it is the _lowest_ priority in Sony's case.

This stupidity of proprietary cable nonsense needs to stop.

Sad to see Microsoft and Sony wasting so many man-hours duplicating each other efforts. One day Apple is going to wake up and officially add a dual analog stick and then Sony will really be screwed.
i.e.
http://www.cultofmac.com/128086/thinkgeek-finally-releases-icontrolpad-the-d-pad-for-your-iphone/

http://www.cultofmac.com/91126/side-by-side-comparison-samsung-vs-ios-homescreen-icons/

Really?

You might want to give something like this a read. You're not doing the third-world any favors by only buying products made in the first-world. If anything, refusing to do business with them is tantamount to abandoning them to be in perpetual poverty.

The world we live in isn't ideal, and it's not the responsibility of Apple or any other company to fix that by raising the standard of living in the third-world to first-world levels before doing business with them. So, excluding charity (which is nowhere near abundant enough to affect most of the third-world to the extent we'd all like), how else are they supposed to raise their standard of living? They can certainly do it slowly via a trickle down by interacting with the local communities who interact with other communities who eventually interact with the developed nations, but that's slow and will leave them in poverty for centuries. To raise the standard of living more rapidly, they need to interact directly with the people that have the money, which means they need to have something the people with the money want.

Selling raw, natural resources is one option. It worked for some of the oil-rich countries, though selling natural resources tends to put the money in the hands of only a few, and it's definitely not an option everywhere. It's also ripe for exploitation (e.g. diamonds, oil, etc.). Selling off a product is another option, but most of these communities lack the resources, infrastructure, and know-how to produce something the rich foreigners would actually be interested in. Selling services is a final option, but because the people in these communities are unskilled, the only service most of them can offer is cheap labor.

Having a foreign company willing to pour money (even if it's less than what the company would be spending in the first-world) into a community creates wealth that wouldn't otherwise exist and brings about much-needed improvements. Foxconn, despite the bad press it gets in the West, has thousands of people applying to it, vying for the spots that open up. Illegal immigrants come into the U.S. every year to take jobs for below minimum wage, oftentimes with the goal of sending money back home to improve conditions at home. In both of these cases, the people clearly believe that they stand a better chance of improving their lot in life by interacting with the developed world than by staying where they are.

Keep in mind as well that the high standard of living in the developed world comes with a high cost of living. The minimum wage in a developed nation allows its workers to survive despite the costs of living there. Those costs don't exist everywhere, however, so paying a wage that was designed to account for all of those costs to people that don't deal with those costs makes little sense. Even within a developed nation you'll see employers account for cost of living expenses by paying more to employees working in major metropolitan areas than in small towns.

I'm not suggesting conditions are great and that everything is dandy. It's not. And even if I don't believe the wages should be brought up to what you'd see in the West, I do believe that most or all of the working conditions should be raised to those levels. I'm also willing to go along with the idea that this may be a mild form of exploitation, since these people are oftentimes stuck between choosing poverty or to work at these places, which isn't a real choice. Even so, I'd still say that it's the best option available, given the world we live in. Leaving them alone is a worse option and doesn't help them at all. Giving them oodles of money for nothing isn't a feasible option. Being willing to buy up the one service they can offer is the only reasonable option.

I think Apple's of the mindset that as long as they're expecting developers to build on Macs for iPhone and iPad, as well as use Lightroom/FinalCut/etc. in production environments, there's a need for the Mac Pro.

Have you read any comments forums about Final Cut Pro X? Just a couple of days ago I read some, they almost all agreed to properly run Final Cut Pro X the current Mac Pro were lacking. On Final Cut Pro X’s professional exodus. Can Mini run Photoshop CS5 and Final Cut Pro? More: Apple’s Just A Twitch Away From Killing The Mac Pro Line Forever.

Falcon

I always thought it was amusing that the German court system would ban the sale of iPads after much of the Bundestag (the German parliament) bought them for themselves and claimed them as a work expense. They're ubiquitous now in the Bundestag... you see them in photos, one member had to pause during the speech he was reading from his iPad when it crashed, they have officially approved the device for use in reading speeches, and they made the Polish parliament (Sejm) so jealous they followed suit! They're Apple's best advertising agency in Europe.

I know, I know... classic case of left hand doing one thing and the right hand doing another... that's part of what makes it so funny.

Sagely words, cffrost.

Some others:

"I refuse to believe that corporations are people until Texas executes one."

"Corporations are born in a lawyerâ(TM)s office, exist only on paper, have no social conscience, no soul and can never die."

The worst example of blind love for a corporation would have to be the way consumers worship Apple; a company whose workers are treated cruelly and ruthlessly. What is 'Cool' about this?

Apple's Chinese workers treated 'inhumanely, like machines'
Investigation finds evidence of draconian rules and excessive overtime to meet western demand for iPhones and iPads
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/30/apple-chinese-workers-treated-inhumanely

Apple Store Employees Speak Out Against Demoralizing, Draining Work Conditions
http://www.cultofmac.com/103041/apple-store-employees-speak-out-against-demoralizing-draining-work-conditions/

The Darker Side of Apple: The Human Cost of Your iProducts
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/darker-side-apple-human-cost-iproducts-164412176.html

At least 14 workers at Foxconn factories in China have killed themselves in the last 16 months as a result of horrendous working conditions.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1382396/Workers-Chinese-Apple-factories-forced-sign-pledges-commit-suicide.html

http://www.cultofmac.com/63295/john-sculley-on-steve-jobs-the-full-interview-transcript/

1) Many "approved" android apps can and do modify the system more extensively, it's how a trojan app can send SMS without you knowing - impossible in iOS.

A trojan app can send SMSes only if you give it the permission to. I do recognize that many users won't read the permissions warning when they install an app, so perhaps Android had better display an additional warning dialog box each time a SMS is sent. (I also remember that in the case of Symbian, which worked that way for Java apps, people were annoyed because of the security pop-ups.) Anyway, if an app is caught doing anything in a fraudulent way, it will be yanked from the official market and from the devices that have it already installed.

That's every model, for every OS version.

The information I have tells me it is not the case. And what about WP7? No jailbreak at all for that.

Apple could shut down jailbreaking if they really wanted to - obviously they do not want to

But Apple do shut down known jailbreaking methods at almost every OS update. It's hackers that continuously find new ways to jailbreak.

is there a jailbreak for iPhone 4S

Yes there is. Google. Have you heard of it? You probably should have thought to use it before wandering so far out of the field of fact where you started.

All I found by Google were scam sites that wanted me to buy shady applications that are supposed to let me jailbreak. Obviously fake, since the upstream hacker blogs tell me that jailbreaking the 4S and the iPad 2 is not currently possible. The very first Google result is even marked by Google as a "harmful site". Next slashdot article: "Fake jailbreak scams spread to iOS"?

My, what bullshit fear mongering you have there Grandmother!

In reality many millions of people jailbreak phones regularly without issue (NO it does not void your warranty).

Have Apple changed their mind since they officially stated that jailbreak does void your warranty?

http://www.lowendmac.com/newsrev/11mnr/1111.html#1
http://www.cultofmac.com/113977/os-x-lion-sandboxing-is-a-killjoy-destined-to-ruin-our-mac-experience/

Why make it so you can't the ability to save changes to files that you do not own? Why have it ask for admin rights when doing so?

The parking in handicapped spots occurred 30 years ago - no one ever saw that after he returned to Apple. (The campus has much better parking.)

Why do you lie to protect your cult leader?

add in the classic cracking/yellow plastic on prior models, the crappy 15-bit TN screens they've used in the past (fixed under performance guarantees, IIRC, after legal action), too much thermal paste causing massive overheating, nVidia gfx chips cracking and falling off, exploding batteries, cooling ports blocked by plastic film and numerous HW failures-by-design - well, it's no wonder he's looking for a heavy duty warranty.

Apple's biggest design flaw is that they use the same name ("Macbook") for all of their laptops, year after year. So a Google for "macbook battery" or "macbook screen" returns every rant anyone has ever posted about every Apple laptop ever sold.

All the other manufacturers keep changing names so you can't keep track. HP has added "Envy" and "ProBook" to the "Presario" and "Pavillion" and "EliteBook", plus they add random model numbers like "dv5000." Makes it a lot harder to keep track. Dell does the same thing: What the hell is a Vostro? Is it like an Inspiron or a Latitude? It's certainly not an XPS, right, because that's the line they built to compete with Alienware, except now they own Alienware, and use that name, too.

Changing names often helps to encourage the short memories of consumers. I don't know anyone that's had a problem with a Vostro or an Envy...because I've never known anyone whose owned anything other than an Inspiron or a Pavillion.

add in the classic cracking/yellow plastic on prior models, the crappy 15-bit TN screens they've used in the past (fixed under performance guarantees, IIRC, after legal action), too much thermal paste causing massive overheating, nVidia gfx chips cracking and falling off, exploding batteries, cooling ports blocked by plastic film and numerous HW failures-by-design - well, it's no wonder he's looking for a heavy duty warranty.

I'd recommend a Dell, if you can stand the hardware - their NBD warranties kick ass. You can practically (ab)use the hardware for anything except hammering fenceposts & they'll replace it for you. Plus there's the data recovery option, might be worth it if you're special enough to keep important data on a laptop.

I was trying to make a point that Apple was no longer a PC Computer maker and they were a personal device maker. And Apple Computer eventually changed their name to Apple, Inc.to reflect that change in direction.;

While I think you're right, the iPod's success made it central to Apple financially and as a brand, you have to keep in mind that Apple always was, as you put it, a "personal device maker". Apple has always been about selling consumer gadgets, and viewed computing from that perspective. Jobs very, very consciously tried to emulate Sony. Take another look at the iMacs, the NeXT cube, or the Newton with this in mind...Jobs was applying the Walkman/Discman/VCR mindset to the personal computer.

Now, when you start caging in users because of this approach, that's when I have a problem...

So tell me Mr. Jobs are you some kind of a god? where you should be able to shamelessly take others concepts as your own but others should not? Or is it that you are just a super hypocrite?

Mr Jobs, is this what your company is attempting to do with other people's code through the use of blatant software-patents? and other dubious software-patents?

So using software patents to gain control of code that you or your company did not write is cool?

Jailbreaking doesn't void your (iPhone's) warranty?

Sure, and never mind the box art layout, the wall wart, the breakout cable, art assets...

This isn't the first time Samsung's been caught cheating either.

Granted, this also isn't Apple's first time trying to sue on "look and feel." Granted, I think this time they've got a much more solid case.

So what is the solution?

Well, there are several solutions.

First, stop the patenting of the obvious. For example, multi-touch on a touch screen. Or a patent for a rectangle smart phone with icons.

Next, stop patenting how people use things. The multi-touch (above) is an example. Could you imaging what the GUI would be like if Apple were able to patent the double-click?!!? How about if Ford patented where hands were placed on a steering wheel? Could Gibson patent a guitar chord or method for rock stars to bash a guitar on stage? Or how about "A handheld computing device is introduced comprising a motion detection sensor(s) and a motion control agent. The motion detection sensor(s) detect motion of the computing device in one or more of six (6) fields of motion and generate an indication of such motion. The motion control agent, responsive to the indications of motion received from the motion sensors, generate control signals to modify, one or more of the operating state and/or the displayed content of the computing device based, at least in part, on the received indications." Also known as an accelerometer. Yes, this patent was granted.

Stop patenting evolution. If I were to patent the web browser, someone else shouldn't be able to patent using graphics in a web browser. If were to hold the patent to the TV, someone else shouldn't be able to patent the wide-screen.

Stop patenting conventions. If something is accepted as an industry standard with the patent holder's blessing, USB for example, the patents should immediately expire. This would prevent patent holders like Apple, Intel and Rambus from pushing their patented solutions over better, open ones.

Stop overly-broad or vague patents. Patents should include a proposed use for the idea. For example, if I were to make the language vague enough, I could easily get the patent for the automobile. Someone could have seen the PAD on Star Trek and grabbed a patent for that. "Flat, rectangular, electronic device used to hold and present information". I've seen examples of patents filed years ago that were violated by products that were not what the patent holder was thinking of when he got the patent.

There are more. These are just off the top of my head.

This is my goddamn point

Exactly what I was thinking - another FUD attack on Google. The first thing I think now when I hear an attack on Google and Android is that there's a very good chance that it was written by a shill.

IMO, Apple doesn't have much of a reputation for hiring shills to do the dirty work for them - they have big enough mouths to spew FUD themselves.

Microsoft on the other hand has a deep-running history of hiring shills - and it wouldn't be the first time CNET's been on the receiving end either.

I don't think they really need to split. That'd duplicate resources to some extent, I think. They already fight internally and act like separate competing companies anyways instead of making a better software product everyone benefits from with a common vision. This recent post on Cult of Mac shows this quite well: http://www.cultofmac.com/apple-ms-google-etc-imagined-as-fun-org-charts/102917?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cultofmac%2FbFow+(Cult+of+Mac)

Even though Mac market share grew 28% last year, Mac OS X profits didn't grow that much, and still only account for 20% of the company's revenue. If hardware accounted for the majority of their revenue, you'd see it here.

http://www.cultofmac.com/apple-earns-3-5-times-as-much-profit-on-ios-and-os-x-than-microsoft-does-on-windows/93282

Apple states that 75% of their revenue comes from iOS related sales. They're lumping in iPhone hardware with App Store/iTunes purchases. But again, before the App Store, they had a market cap of 7 billion. After the App Store, they have a market cap of 309 billion.

Also consider that OS market share shows there are 3 times as many OS X devices out there as iOS devices. And those OS X devices are more expensive, with a higher profit margin.

So how exactly does the iOS division account for 75% of all their revenue with less hardware, and cheaper hardware?

Frankly, you're just wrong.

Well, considering these two things. Their former VP of Software Engineering said in an interview that there's ten to twenty more years in OS X's lifespan. http://www.cultofmac.com/former-vp-of-software-engineering-says-os-x-has-another-ten-to-twenty-years-ahead-of-it/59029

Also, in the Apple Special Event in January 2010 Steve Jobs said that the iPad is aimed to be better at some things than both the iPhone and the Mac/PC, it's clear that their desktop and mobile software paths are quite separate. http://www.apple.com/apple-events/january-2010/

OS X Lion seems like a clear attempt by Apple to connect these two OSes in a meaningful way, making it easier for Mac users to deal with the islands of data their devices are creating, while showing iOS users who run Windows that life could be easier if only the were using a Mac. Apple, like any company want you to use everything they sell and yesterday's announcement is different.

http://www.cultofmac.com/antivirus-software-within-apple-is-mandatory-but-should-it-be-on-your-mac/96290
Yeah, ACs are always so enlightened...

So your theory is that thousands of researchers are blithly unaware that there are Mac viruses in the wild, and no one has managed to detect them?

As to the built in protection, it warns you against known trojans like the hacked adobe software, which also requires an admin password and social engineering.

http://www.cultofmac.com/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-apples-new-anti-virus-spotter/15475

If you are going to try to use an example of xprotect.plist, you should probably look at what it actually scans for. Guess what? It scans for trojan's, not viruses.

The Cult of Mac has been around for years.

http://www.cultofmac.com/amazons-kindle-app-has-unti-june-30th-to-support-new-in-app-purchase-rules/82176
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20110215/june-30-deadline-for-apple-subscriptions/

Good lord, even I hadn't heard about that. I knew he was legendary for not giving to charity, parking his Mercedes in handicapped spots, etc., but my god. Does he kick puppies in his spare time too?

I think this guy is a few iPad sales away from petting a cat in a secret island hideout.

Apple does not provide a password option to prevent purchases from the device.

Funny, there's a pretty simple way to prevent in-app purchases built right in.

But maybe you don't want to prevent all in-app purchases? Maybe you only want to make sure that your kids don't buy things without your oversight? By keeping the password to yourself and having them ask you to buy things for them?

The trouble is the password caching for 15 minutes. Many parents thought (and still think) that by not giving the password to their kids and requiring them to come and ask to type in the password they would be safe against the kids buying things on their own. What's a password good for if you have to disable in-app purchases altogether just to make sure that your kids can't buy whatever they want for 15 minutes if you have typed in the password once for one purchase? This is like having an ATM give out free money to everyone asking for it out of your account for 15 minutes after you've removed your card.

Not giving your kids your password and typing it in for them if they want to buy something is totally reasonable and surely in no way bad parenting. Being bitten by "convenient" password caching is infuriating. I would sue Apple to hell and back if this would have happened to me. Password caching should be optional and default to off.

Apple does not provide a password option to prevent purchases from the device.

Funny, there's a pretty simple way to prevent in-app purchases built right in.

And if you think it's too hard to change a handful of parental control settings on your device, consider whether or not you'd allow a stranger to babysit your child without spending even a few moments getting to know them and finding out their name.

As if purchasing an expensive device to babysit your child wasn't bad enough, you want us to feel sympathy for parents who can't even spend a few moments disabling in-app purchases on that device? Tough shit.

The iPad goes to 11.

http://www.cultofmac.com/did-apple-order-cops-to-raid-gizmodo-editors-house/40211

One button mouse, almost destroying Apple, delaying the move to Intel because he wanted to use chips that were not used by "real" computer makers, Apple 3 firestarter meant business still cannot take them seriously.

Let's take these in order:

One button mouse: First off, remember, this was 1981-83, when these decisions were made. Nearly no one in the regular population (and even most computer "experts") even knows what a computer "mouse" is at that time. Jef Raskin wanted a multi-button (up to FIVE) mouse. SJ did not. And at the time, Xerox PARC (I think), or maybe it was M.I.T., had conducted "usability" studies that showed, hands down (or mouse-buttons-down) that a one-button mouse was far easier for MOST people to learn. So, the one-button mouse was decided upon on the LISA, and then adopted on the Mac. See this article for some mouse history. However, that was then. So, that's why, ever since MacOS 8.6 (1999) Macs have directly supported two button (and now more-button) mice, and MacOS has actually supported "contextual menus" with a Ctrl-Click since MacOS 8.0 (1997). This very informed article might clear up any misconceptions about the advisability (still!) of a one-button mouse, and the Mac's support of same. That's why Apple's OWN multi-button mice (I think up to 5 buttons are definable) still default to acting like a one-button mouse. Because, for MOST people, it IS the better choice. Even now. But, this is one tired meme. Stop it. You're embarrassing yourself. Oh, and BTW, according to the Wikipedia article cited above, Microsoft really didn't start supporting a second mouse button until the release of WIndows '95. So, considering that Apple added contextual menus only two years later, and full two-button support two years after that, Apple wasn't nearly as late to the "right-click" party as the haters make them out to be.

Now, shall we start naming the Apple "industry FIRSTS"??? Of course not; the list is far too long...

Almost Destroying Apple: Um, I think you have Jobs confused with Sculley, who nearly killed Apple by LICENSING MacOS to third parties (at the urging of BILL GATES!), and signing a technology agreement with Microsoft to allow them to basically steal Apple's superior GUI code (and even THEN, WIndows 95 SUUUCKED compared to MacOS). See here, and here. However, thanks for trying. And I don't think anyone who is not purely delusional would characterize Apple's performance since Jobs' return as anything other than "phenomenal".

Delaying the move to Intel: Hmmm, I wonder who's decision it was to keep an INTEL version of OS X (and all the core "iLife" apps, etc.) up-to-date from 1999 (going back to Rhapsody/NeXTStep/Mac OS X Server 1.0) to 2005 (when the move to Intel was announced). Jobs had been REPEATEDLY promised two things from IBM: The first one was a G5 CPU running at 3.0GHz "real soon now"; and the second was a low-power G5 to put in a laptop. But IBM let him down. Repeatedly. And so, after it was patently obvious that IBM wasn't coming through (because they were too busy chasing the Cell CPU), Jobs (along with the Board of Directors!) made a pretty painful decision to make a HUGE platform change. And, BTW, they pulled it off REALLY seamlessly, too. Oh, and if your definition of "real computer makers" is limited to only those who use X86 architecture, then you are, by definition calling Sun, IBM, SGi (when there was an SGi), DEC (when there was a DEC) and others NOT "real" computer makers. Now do you see how stupid your statement sounds? BTW, you do realize, of course, that the PowerPC architecture is the little brother of IBM's "Power" architecture, which of cour

62% of iPad customers apparently. At least, 62% of the next run will be 3G models. I haven't seen sales breakdowns anywhere.

http://www.cultofmac.com/analyst-62-of-first-run-ipad-2s-will-be-3g-and-16-verizon/80752

And according to this survey, the $830 iPad is the most popular model.

http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2274007/context-ipad-3g-sales-uk

I hope that no matter what operating system or computer manufacturer you love or hate, everyone can come together and wish him well. Whether you love or hate what he's done in the industry, he's a fellow human being first, and I hope he has a speedy recovery.

Sure. Though I wish he had the same respect for disabled people.

A quick Gogle shows OpenDNS has been aware of issues with Geographic caching since at least 2008:

http://ideabank.opendns.com/story.php?title=exceptions_to_permit_geographic_caching_download_sites_to_work

Also, Apple claims to have resolved the issue for AppleTV in the US:

http://www.cultofmac.com/opendns-we-offer-fast-appletv-streaming-in-north-america-but-international-performance-is-akamais-fault/74342

Nope.
There are quite a few different methods to accomplish this.
For what apple wants to do with it the Panel method is probably what they "patented".

Panel System: This is the most likely use of 3D without glasses. What happens is that a thin screen is placed in front of the TV which as the same function as glasses would. It polarizes the images and causes the right and left eye to receive different images. This would create a 3D effect without any glasses at all.

Apple finds ways to patent things that are already out there by simply taking something designed for projection rooms and putting it on a phone or a computer.

They then have a large portfolio of indefensible patents which look good on paper, but as soon as they try to enforce them they lose big time.

Apple recently put a whole bunch of patents at risk of being declared invalid when they tried to exercise them against Nokia. See Here and also Here.

Nope, this is them playing dirty.

Real desperation is banning the CNET / GSMArena / Consumer reports apps if one of them posts a negative review. Oh wait, they did... http://www.cultofmac.com/apple-censoring-discussion-forums-ref-consumer-reports/50597

Thanks for the post. I wanted to say something to the same effect, but you beat me to the punch. Anyhow, people here just don't understand that Apple (under Jobs) has always believed in controlling every aspect of its ecosystem (Citation). The only time the MacOS was licensed was when Jobs wasn't in Apple, and that was their worst years.
People love Apple's products because they are easy to use from the get-go and part of that ease of use comes from controlling both the hardware and the software completely (or as much as possible). Yes, we geeks like it less, but we are not the main customers. Catering to us will bring about an OS that may be more powerful, but not as easy to use out of the box - I'm looking at you Linux.
So, yes, some of the people at /. (can I say "the guys" or do we have representatives of the fair sex here also?) don't like Apple for their strong-armed tactics, but these are the same tactics that brought about the products that so many people like. Face it, we are a minority.

There's a very active debate on wether or not Microsoft at the present time, or throughout its growth after they finished NT has had simply way too many developers, and if its corporate culture hasn't suffered because of the bureaucratic overhead involved in keeping something like 30,000 programmers merely busy, let alone productive, creative, entrepreneurial and all that other awesome stuff you generally need cutting edge development to be. This is the view taken by Mini-Microsoft and others.

Compare also the opinion of John Sculley when he talked about the Mac unit when him and Jobs were still working together -- the whole division, hardware and software was only a hundred people or so, and only maybe a dozen were OS engineers, with another team of equivalent size writing the bundled applications. Apple presently has about 35,000 employees, but its been mentioned in sources that at least 2/3rds of them are in the retail side of the business, and for all of their OS and application development some people put their actual headcount in the mere hundreds.

Chart says all.

Having marketshare is -nothing-. GM had massive market share, but profits blew. If Nokia keeps this up they're going to quickly become nothing in the mobile market. It's not going to be worth it to Nokia shareholders to keep making Nokia handsets. The margins on nokia handsets are pretty razor thin as it is.

Unfortunately with 6 month or less shelf lives of phones, there's not a lot of motivation for manufacturers to upgrade old handsets, unless there are glaring support problems that are costing them money. Having said that, most android phones do seem to be getting an encouraging level of upgrades, even if it takes the vendors a bit longer to release the upgrades than many people might like.

What I don't understand is why is no one complaining about the state of fragmentation of iOS?

Given Apple are a single manufacturer with a very small (iOS) product range, they seem to have done a pretty good job of messing things up, arguably worse than Android even with the far greater diversity of companies and products involved.

Unfortunately with 6 month or less shelf lives of phones, there's not a lot of motivation for manufacturers to upgrade old handsets, unless there are glaring support problems that are costing them money. Having said that, most android phones do seem to be getting an encouraging level of upgrades, even if it takes the vendors a bit longer to release the upgrades than many people might like.

What I don't understand is why is no one complaining about the state of fragmentation of iOS?

Given Apple are a single manufacturer with a very small (iOS) product range, they seem to have done a pretty good job of messing things up, arguably worse than Android even with the far greater diversity of companies and products involved.

There is a sort of "fix" for this if you have jailbroken your iPhone.

http://www.cultofmac.com/software-hack-to-plug-jailbreak-pdf-hole-is-released/53557

So jailbreaking can actually help the security of your phone before Apple has a chance to fix it. One more reason for jailbreaking beyond the usual stuff.