"Verizon shouldn't get to interfere with how I use my bandwidth, and nor should Apple (or Google, or RIM, or Nokia)."
You're free to use the included web browser to view in content you desire. So if someone can force Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Netflix to sell any content, then does that mean they should be forced to sell porn?
"There are lots of things Apple should do. But it's APPLE. They will do whatever it takes to maximize their profits and profit margins, and if that takes censorship or lying they will do it, just like they have no qualms about misusing the patent and trademark systems."
And how is this different from every single publicly traded company in existence?
"Google can't force the various carriers and handset makers push out updates,"
Apple doesn't seem to have a problem updating all of their devices across carriers worldwide without waiting on the carriers. Surprisingly enough, even Microsoft takes responsibility for Windows Phones updates without waiting on the carrier or OEM.
Well you can "say" whatever you want to but that doesn't change the fact that Apple hasn't sold an AAC file with DRM since 2009. You can take an AAC file and copy it to any device that plays AAC audio -- which includes every single smart phone sold in the US and most dumb phones -- and it will play perfectly,
How is AAC an obscure format? It is used on BLU-ray and it is one of the formats that is a required for Android certification. Every smart phone manufacturer supports it and even the last two dumb phones I had in 2006 support it. You can take a song bought on iTunes and play it on almost anything without conversion.
There is no such thing as "Apple's AAC format". AAC is an industry standard format that is licensable. Every single smart phone and most dumb phones support it. AAC was around before the iPod. Apple isn't even one of the creators of the format.
You can mount any non iOS iPod by clicking on an option in iTunes and it will show up as a regular storage device. All iPod are formatted as FAT32 from the factory, except for iPod touches which are formatted as HFS.
Well, if they just spent $12 billion on Motorola Mobility, a few million more on severance packages, and pay Apple $100 million a year to be the default search engine on Macs and iOS devices and testified that 66% of their mobile profits come from ios devices, you do the math.
"Google gives away the source code for their operating system so if you don't trust them you can read through the source code and compile and modify, or pay someone else to."
So if Google is all about openness, where is the source code for their search algorithm, GMail, or any of their other software that gives them a competitive advantage?
Of course they give away the source code to Android, it's not worth anything to them. They make no money off of Android and 66% of their mobile profits comes from iOS.
"the ability to download ANY file from the internet, whether it be PDF (the only thing you can download on apple mobile products), a zip, a mkv, mp3, etc, etc. the ability to use torrent? the 4g access?"
Strangely enough, I have a browser on my phone that can download any file on the internet.....
"My problem with iProducts is that iTunes is malware, as far as I'm concerned, and Apple expects you to do just about everything through iTunes."
I'm assuming you're talking about the desktop software and not the store, if that's the case....
1. I listen to music via Rhapsody, Pandora 2. I buy e-books via Amazon and read them with the Kindle app 3. I stream movies to my devices via Plex, Netflix, Amazon Instant, Crackle, etc. 4. I backup my phone via iCloud 5. I upgrade my phone over Wifi 6. I buy apps on the phone 7. I buy music on my phone.
"I've found ways around it, eventually, but doing something as simple as importing e-books I'd bought well before the iPhone existed took multiple hours to figure out"
That says more about you, than the phone...easiest way is to e-mail it to yourself, use DropBox, or use iTunes.
" Nope. Apparently that only applies to the iBooks program, so it has to be in the Apple format already. I"
iBooks supports the ePub format and PDFs
" That's also what clued me in to how to add things in iTunes -- you need to have the app installed first, and import it straight to a specific app."
"Speaking at a tech conference in LA, Ballmer owned up to the fact that Microsoft has been left a little behind the game by the likes of Apple and BlackBerry-makers RIM; suggesting that the company only takes fifth place in the smartphone market. Asked about Microsoft's smartphone strategy he said âoeWe were ahead of this game and now we find ourselves number five in the marketâ¦We missed the whole cycle."
If Windows Mobile was actually a useful tool, then why did it fail.
BTW, before you claim that I never used a WinMo/WinCE device. I actually programmed them for three years...
1. Multitouch gestures 2. A full HTML browser 3. Tap to zoom
You didn't answer the question though. Why couldn't Samsung of all companies come out with something like the iPhone first? They had years of experience and they had the hardware expertise.
If it was so obvious, then why didn't any of the cell phone companies with decades of experience do it first? Why did the first Android prototypes look like BlackBerry knock offs?
"Yes, if the jury deliberated something other than the issue at hand and convicted on that instead of the actual issue it should have been ruled as a mistrial."
By definition -- you can't rule a trial "a mistrial" after the trial is over.
"In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law."
So do you really think that Apple would want to trade places with Samsung?
And before you say "only an iFan would be glad to spend more and put money in Apple's pockets", thanks to subsidies, I pay no more for a $650 iPhone than the typical Android buyer pays.
"They'd bully competitors, over control hardware pricing and availability, lock in prices and threaten vendors who sell lower, etc. "
It's called "supply chain management". How do you think the Dell's, Walmart's, etc. of the world got to be so efficient. Every successful company does it.
"They had special RAM made that only fit their systems"
Apple hasn't used "special RAM" for their desktops since the early 80's.
"sued Psystar, etc"
Psytar bundle *modified* versions of someone else's software.
"You think you bought that song? "
iTunes music has been DRM free for years....
"And you can't redownload it either."
You've been able to redownload music for over a year.
Slashdot Mirror
"Verizon shouldn't get to interfere with how I use my bandwidth, and nor should Apple (or Google, or RIM, or Nokia)."
You're free to use the included web browser to view in content you desire. So if someone can force Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Netflix to sell any content, then does that mean they should be forced to sell porn?
"There are lots of things Apple should do. But it's APPLE. They will do whatever it takes to maximize their profits and profit margins, and if that takes censorship or lying they will do it, just like they have no qualms about misusing the patent and trademark systems."
And how is this different from every single publicly traded company in existence?
"f you're an Android power user, and you want to see reasonable OS updates, then you know to buy a Nexus device, that's the point of them."
Unless you have a Nexus phone on the largest carrier in the U.S.
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2012/07/27/lack-of-nexus-s-4g-android-4-1-jelly-bean-update-bad-sign-for-verizon-galaxy-nexus/
"Google can't force the various carriers and handset makers push out updates,"
Apple doesn't seem to have a problem updating all of their devices across carriers worldwide without waiting on the carriers. Surprisingly enough, even Microsoft takes responsibility for Windows Phones updates without waiting on the carrier or OEM.
You do realize that everything that you said is possible with iOS and iCloud right and has been since last year?
Well you can "say" whatever you want to but that doesn't change the fact that Apple hasn't sold an AAC file with DRM since 2009. You can take an AAC file and copy it to any device that plays AAC audio -- which includes every single smart phone sold in the US and most dumb phones -- and it will play perfectly,
How is AAC an obscure format? It is used on BLU-ray and it is one of the formats that is a required for Android certification. Every smart phone manufacturer supports it and even the last two dumb phones I had in 2006 support it. You can take a song bought on iTunes and play it on almost anything without conversion.
"I would assume that most people are using VPNs these days, even for casual web surfing."
The skewed perspective of slashdot never ceases to amaze me.
There is no such thing as "Apple's AAC format". AAC is an industry standard format that is licensable. Every single smart phone and most dumb phones support it. AAC was around before the iPod. Apple isn't even one of the creators of the format.
You can mount any non iOS iPod by clicking on an option in iTunes and it will show up as a regular storage device. All iPod are formatted as FAT32 from the factory, except for iPod touches which are formatted as HFS.
That hasn't been the case since iOS 5.
Well, if they just spent $12 billion on Motorola Mobility, a few million more on severance packages, and pay Apple $100 million a year to be the default search engine on Macs and iOS devices and testified that 66% of their mobile profits come from ios devices, you do the math.
And no MMI is not profitable.
"Google gives away the source code for their operating system so if you don't trust them you can read through the source code and compile and modify, or pay someone else to."
So if Google is all about openness, where is the source code for their search algorithm, GMail, or any of their other software that gives them a competitive advantage?
Of course they give away the source code to Android, it's not worth anything to them. They make no money off of Android and 66% of their mobile profits comes from iOS.
"the ability to download ANY file from the internet, whether it be PDF (the only thing you can download on apple mobile products), a zip, a mkv, mp3, etc, etc. the ability to use torrent? the 4g access?"
Strangely enough, I have a browser on my phone that can download any file on the internet.....
The app store is your friend.
"My problem with iProducts is that iTunes is malware, as far as I'm concerned, and Apple expects you to do just about everything through iTunes."
I'm assuming you're talking about the desktop software and not the store, if that's the case....
1. I listen to music via Rhapsody, Pandora
2. I buy e-books via Amazon and read them with the Kindle app
3. I stream movies to my devices via Plex, Netflix, Amazon Instant, Crackle, etc.
4. I backup my phone via iCloud
5. I upgrade my phone over Wifi
6. I buy apps on the phone
7. I buy music on my phone.
"I've found ways around it, eventually, but doing something as simple as importing e-books I'd bought well before the iPhone existed took multiple hours to figure out"
That says more about you, than the phone...easiest way is to e-mail it to yourself, use DropBox, or use iTunes.
" Nope. Apparently that only applies to the iBooks program, so it has to be in the Apple format already. I"
iBooks supports the ePub format and PDFs
" That's also what clued me in to how to add things in iTunes -- you need to have the app installed first, and import it straight to a specific app."
Or email it to yourself.....
It was useful but not user friendly? With attitudes like that, is it any wonder why The "year of desktop Linux" will never happen?
And you actually called a Windows Mobile device "useful".
Let's see what the CEO of Microsoft said about Windows Mobile...
http://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk/news/20100604-microsoft-not-doing-so-well-smartphones-according-chief-exec
"Speaking at a tech conference in LA, Ballmer owned up to the fact that Microsoft has been left a little behind the game by the likes of Apple and BlackBerry-makers RIM; suggesting that the company only takes fifth place in the smartphone market. Asked about Microsoft's smartphone strategy he said âoeWe were ahead of this game and now we find ourselves number five in the marketâ¦We missed the whole cycle."
If Windows Mobile was actually a useful tool, then why did it fail.
BTW, before you claim that I never used a WinMo/WinCE device. I actually programmed them for three years...
The LG prada did not have:
1. Multitouch gestures
2. A full HTML browser
3. Tap to zoom
You didn't answer the question though. Why couldn't Samsung of all companies come out with something like the iPhone first? They had years of experience and they had the hardware expertise.
"Because blackberry was - and still does - do a better job for mobile business use"
How? And if that's the case, that must be why business aren't abandoning Rim in droves.
"There was no market for easy to use smartphones for sheeple until mass market GPRS/EDGE arrived allowing reasonable download speeds,"
You might want to check your facts.
http://www.webcitation.org/5yRQRGPgH
"which not coincidentaly was shortly before the iPhone appeared. Funny huh?"
So why did Apple do it first instead of Motorola or Samsung?
Why were the first Android prototypes RIM knockoffs?
If it was so obvious, then why didn't any of the cell phone companies with decades of experience do it first? Why did the first Android prototypes look like BlackBerry knock offs?
"Yes, if the jury deliberated something other than the issue at hand and convicted on that instead of the actual issue it should have been ruled as a mistrial."
By definition -- you can't rule a trial "a mistrial" after the trial is over.
That's not only discussing criminal cases, that's discussing capital cases.
Have you ever heard of a case where a juror was asked to testify in a civil case about how they deliberated?
"Samsung can use his misunderstanding during their appeal."
And you really think that jurors statements about how they deliberated is grounds for appeal?
"In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law."
Last time I checked, corporations were in business to make a profit.....
http://www.asymco.com/2012/05/03/the-phone-market-in-2012-a-tale-of-two-disruptions/
So do you really think that Apple would want to trade places with Samsung?
And before you say "only an iFan would be glad to spend more and put money in Apple's pockets", thanks to subsidies, I pay no more for a $650 iPhone than the typical Android buyer pays.
"They'd bully competitors, over control hardware pricing and availability, lock in prices and threaten vendors who sell lower, etc. "
It's called "supply chain management". How do you think the Dell's, Walmart's, etc. of the world got to be so efficient. Every successful company does it.
"They had special RAM made that only fit their systems"
Apple hasn't used "special RAM" for their desktops since the early 80's.
"sued Psystar, etc"
Psytar bundle *modified* versions of someone else's software.
"You think you bought that song? "
iTunes music has been DRM free for years....
"And you can't redownload it either."
You've been able to redownload music for over a year.