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Did Apple Sabotage the ROKR?
JPigford writes "The Apple Blog makes claim that Apple sabotaged the success of the ROKR so as to sway public opinion of MP3 cell phones in general...ultimately to drive more sales to the iPod. By mandating a 100 song limit on the ROKR and having the product flop, Apple was able to put a bad taste in the mouths of consumers so that not only do they drive more iPod sales, but they keep competitors from fighting back with their own MP3 phones."
So it's a feature! And you thought it was only Microsoft...
O RLY?
Mac OS X 10.0 was so completely crappy, that I'm sure that it DID drive people to Windows!
They're TELEPHONES. You use them to TALK TO PEOPLE. Buy some other device if you want to play games or listen to music. TELEPHONES should be TELEPHONES. And fuck every single one of you out there who sets their ringtone to some annoying super-long Broadway showtune or obnoxious gangsta rap song and take forever to answer it, hoping strangers around you (who DON'T GIVE A SHIT) think you're "cool" and have good music taste.
This technology is a bloated, overpriced, gimmicky pile of wank that makes me embarassed to be a part of the information age. Fuck right off.
Doesn't this just reek of a MS maneuver? Make believe to play nice but make it impossible for someone else to succeed?
I guess this is just "business"??!!!
The gun is good - Zardoz
"You know, Apple doesn't tie up large sections of the industry in backwards, proprietary technology. They're cutting edge. They give back to open source projects."
All of which is wrong. Apple doesn't really contribute that much to "open source projects". In fact, the only substantive contribution that Apple has made was made accidentally. The Smalltalk folk went to work and produced "Squeak" while working at Apple. They are now at Disney, so the credit may have to be shared. Anything else? Something on the order of... Self (SUN, used for Newton), Object Pascal, original Mac OS or toolbox, reference implementation of AppleTalk, or other networking protocols, AppleCard, Math Solver... you know, something real? Not just some BSD kernel hacks, or browser hacks.
Cutting edge? You mean they hire stylists to hide the defects in their products? Oh, its pretty, but the battery explodes... It may even cut you. Or, it doesn't actually work, and needs service... Whatever.
Tie up the industry? Sure do. Tell me how I can legally run Mac 68K software. I need a bootleg ROM. Bootleg because the machines I *can* get a ROM from are getting scarce. Oh, I can download the OS for sure, but still can't use it to run the old software. Apple has been a sort of "roach motel" for development for years. You can get in, but it is really hard to leave.
Apple: pretty, proprietary, and backwards. Microsoft hardware is generally superior (please compare Apple mouse vs. Microsoft mouse, or keyboards). Microsoft software is also (arguably) superior. At least the server isn't dog slow, and a full software stack is available from a single vendor. Not the case with Apple.
Mark this a flamebait--every time I criticize darlin' Apple it happens. I think Apple may FINALLY produce some reasonable hardware, at a reasonable price point (thinking Minis here), but it sure has taken a long time. I think the system software, and software stack supplied is usable, but is definitely a "consumer" play. I DON'T think the "iPod" is a good product for consumers. I do think the "iPod" is a GREAT product for Apple. It seems to be driving a thriving accessory market.
Sorry for the comparisions with Microsoft -- I am also a critic of Microsoft. To disclose, I hold Microsoft stock, but refuse to hold Apple stock. Just what I think...
Ratboy.
Just another "Cubible(sic) Joe" 2 17 3061