Apple Platform Lock-Ins, A 3rd Party Dev's Opinion

Iftekhar writes "Wil Shipley, of Delicious Monster fame, has written a very candid essay on what he perceives as Apple's growing trend toward platform lock-ins. He writes: 'Why is the iPhone locked to a single carrier, so I can't travel internationally with it? There's really only one viable reason: Apple wanted a share of the carrier's profits, which meant giving AT&T an exclusive deal. Which meant, we get screwed so Apple can make more money. It's that simple. [...] As Apple gets more and more of its revenue from non-Mac devices, they are also getting more and more of their revenue from devices that simply exclude third parties. Consumers suffer from this. We suffer from increased prices and decreased competition and innovation. We suffer so Apple can make a few more bucks, when Apple is clearly not hurting for money.'"

No shit sherlock

[ArchieBunker]

You mean the company's first priority is to make money? Say its not so! All this time I thought Apple was around to make people feel all warm and happy inside.

Essay doesn't mention the worst part

[mfender9]

I'm surprised the essay doesn't even mention the worst part, which is how Apple is forcing people at gun point to buy their products, so even though there are all of those other options on the market, you have no choice but to be locked into Apple's platform decisions against your will.

Wait...

Ob. Penny Arcade ref.

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/09/16 [penny-arcade.com]

Re:You know what?

[Vellmont]

You know what? I'm sick of this sort of thing. Guess what guys, Apple is in it for the money!

The problem is there's a lot of Apple fanboys who are slowly coming to that conclusion, though fighting it tooth and nail. These people believe Apple exists to make them happy, not to make money.

Re:So let me get this straight...

[Anonymous Coward]

I mean, seriously, who but Steve Jobs, peace and blessings be upon him, is even remotely qualified to talk about Apple? The rest of us should just wait silently for His Word.

Re:If you don't like it

[tooslickvan]

It pays the CEO a big fat paycheck, which he then spends on yacht, ...

I'm pretty sure that $1 doesn't go very far on yacht purchases.

Re:Not the first intl screwup

[Wordsmith]

So what you're saying is, it's only in America that ours go up to 11?

Re:If you don't like it

[wildsurf]

I'm pretty sure that $1 doesn't go very far on yacht purchases.

Maybe he's purchasing a yacht nano.

Re:So let me get this straight...

[nutshell42]

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries. Now go away or I shall taunt you again!

Re:Apple == MicROsoft?

[Bemopolis]

Apple's just Microsoft in cooler clothes. Where does the personification of Linux fit in those clever commercials? Oh, right -- it doesn't fit in a 'commercial' at all.

Sure, if by 'cooler clothes', you mean a shirt with the proper number of sleeves, and on opposite sides of the shirt; pants that don't have a hole in the crotch, so you aren't a virus magnet whenever you use a chair; and shoes of the correct size that, when you try to put them on, don't ask 'You are trying to don footwear. Cancel or Allow?'

And, as for where the personification of Linux is, sadly those commercials were not shot in someone's parents' basement.

Re:So let me get this straight...

[Belial6]

Your inability to understand simple English is certainly not an indication that I am behaving like a "spastic geek".