Same thing essentially happened to "Ma Bell". They had a vertical monopoly that extended towards the majority of communication for a long time. And they jacked up their fees simply because they could. Eventually they were broken up and competition arose. Unfortunately this is an example from a different era when people actually believed and enforced a capitalist economy.
Now, I'm not so sure that Apple will be broken up in the same manner... only moderated lightly depending upon their connections. The dynamics of capitalism and political control/influence in the real world setting have changed too greatly. The only way that Apple will really get their act together is if people stop buying their product and/or corporate-style greed bankrupts them. Especially since the creation of the corporate ladder has created an environment where executives can increase their underlings' work hours and decrease their pay and benefits simply to get more stock options or give themselves a raise. Because the wrong types of business behavior are being rewarded and punished (as with the year warranty and crappy products), it takes much more to get a worker and consumer positive change out of businesses today.
So, yeah... I agree with you. The wrong points have been emphasized by the public. Legally, they're within their rights; ethically, they're screwing everyone over with their business practices. Potentially, most people are afraid to speak upon this viewpoint because it makes the previous consumers look stupid... and who would want to support a fight against someone because you were made out to be a fool.
Slashdot Mirror
Same thing essentially happened to "Ma Bell". They had a vertical monopoly that extended towards the majority of communication for a long time. And they jacked up their fees simply because they could. Eventually they were broken up and competition arose. Unfortunately this is an example from a different era when people actually believed and enforced a capitalist economy.
Now, I'm not so sure that Apple will be broken up in the same manner... only moderated lightly depending upon their connections. The dynamics of capitalism and political control/influence in the real world setting have changed too greatly. The only way that Apple will really get their act together is if people stop buying their product and/or corporate-style greed bankrupts them. Especially since the creation of the corporate ladder has created an environment where executives can increase their underlings' work hours and decrease their pay and benefits simply to get more stock options or give themselves a raise. Because the wrong types of business behavior are being rewarded and punished (as with the year warranty and crappy products), it takes much more to get a worker and consumer positive change out of businesses today.
So, yeah... I agree with you. The wrong points have been emphasized by the public. Legally, they're within their rights; ethically, they're screwing everyone over with their business practices. Potentially, most people are afraid to speak upon this viewpoint because it makes the previous consumers look stupid... and who would want to support a fight against someone because you were made out to be a fool.