Alright, I was just reading this article, and it ramped up my hatred of Apple again. For you Apple fanboys, try to stick around, because I'm going to get into some other stuff after the Apple bashing.
Apple really needs to wake up. Or get sued like Microsoft did. Everything they do is designed not to play well with others. If I wanted to use an iPhone/iTouch on Linux, I'd HAVE to jailbreak it. Apple spends too much time making sure they people can only do things their way. You can be different, only if you're the different Apple wants you to be. Reminds me of liberals and their open-mindness. But I digress - this is not, nor is it ever going to be, a political blog.
Which brings me to phones, and telecom in general. The iPhone is pretty decent hardware, I'll admit it. But, as a phone, it was, until recently, lacking some things that even my el-cheapo LG has. Like recording video. And sending picture/video messages. I have no use for the picture messaging, but it's a pretty basic feature in phones these days - Apple should have gotten it right the first time.
Now, the biggest problem with the iPhone (and most phones) is not the hardware or software that is restricting features, but the carriers. Phone carriers are so interested in making money with their extra features and such, they're really screwing over the customer. Same thing goes for traditional telecoms. Like Time-Warner trying to charge based on usage. The lack of real competition in the market has destroyed any hope of moving forward. With the Ma-Bell's controlling nearly all of the long-haul connections in the country, it's impossible for anyone to compete. And now the Bells are starting to merge back together.
So, what's my dream? Not quite as epic as MLK's, but I have a dream, that one day, this nation will connect together. That data will move as freely around the country, with no priority for those with the most money or power. That everyone will be able to access the interwebs at blinding speed. Alright, enough of this.
I think that the way current teleco's manage the internet is going to hurt the country. We need Internet to be cheap and readily available. I was going to say like electricity, but Enron proved that industry isn't all fun and games either. How to get there, I'm not sure. I'm not usually one for government intervention, but I think if the government did it right, it could work brilliantly. Problem is, once the government gets their hands on it, they'll try to regulate it to death, and use it to bribe the States into doing something (Think Federal Highway funds...)
So, that's my rant. It's late, so I hope it makes sense.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This is good writing. You've really taken it to the next level. (Sry if that's patronizing... I used to edit at a newspaper... lol.)
ReplyDeleteYes, Apple is absolutely trying to make life hard for non-Apple users, by making their stuff incompatible. They have essentially declared war on Linux. (They probably see it as their big competition vs. Windwos - because it steals a few nerds, and because there's a chance Linux will become the Next Big Thing in the personal computing world.)
For example, they give away (I believe, anyway) iTunes U (content system for universities). Why? Probably because, for one thing, it doesn't work with Linux. This is a major jam in the door for any large university which as already accepted iTunes U from adopting Linux as the default OS on students' PCs. At Carolina, that move would make sense financially and support wise, and would be a devastating blow for Apple (and MS). So Apple is probably /so/ happy that Carolina has taken the iTunes U medicince.
However, that's their perrogative. The iTunes U thing could maybe fall into deceptive business practices, but probably not, and setting that aside: it's their choice whether or not to make their stuff compatible with other stuff. They made it. We shouldn't whine about it too much and, most importantly, we shouldn't try to "force" Apple to do stuff our way by suing them and using the government. If I were Steve Jobs and the government tried to tell me how to run my business, I'd say "fuck you" and peace out, and then people would regret bugging me.
Also, yes, we have absolute telco monopoly, and absolute no competition. Why do we have telco monopoly? Government granted, 100%. The telcos /love/ being "regulated," as it stands now. They get a little regulation in return for being the government's pet, with a guaranteed legal monopoly. The first step to busting this is getting rid of the /legal/ telco monopolies. And I don't think telco is a natural monopoly at all. Maybe one would dominate in the market if it was actually that much better than all the others... but there's no risk of that with the lousy telcos we have now...
Yes, if everyone would stop buying/paying attention to Apple, I'd have no wishes for gov't intervention. In fact, I'd love to see them suffer, I'm just sadistic like that.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the telco thing - I'm beginning to think that a federal agency would be the best thing to do (or at least the easiest/most practical). They'd just have to be as autonomous as possible - like the Federal Reserve. And keep congress/the president from monkeying with them.
Then, they could claim eminent domain in laying fiber, and they're not too concerned with turning a profit. It'd be tough to do, but I think it could work.
A few comments..
ReplyDelete(1) Having a federal agency be independent does not make it less vulnerable to corruption. In fact, it makes it more easy for it to become internally corrupt more quickly (because the power chain/bureaucracy is not as large, promotions tend to come mainly just from within the org, etc.), and it makes it harder to fix that, since it's independent from other influence.
(2) I think there needs to be some work done in defining, in a legal sense, what "property" is.
I think the rule should be: If you can do something without interrupting someone else's existing use of it (i.e., without initiating force), it's fair game; there is nothing wrong with that. So, I can bury cables on the edge of your yard, as long as you're not actually using the soil under the yard right there. (This is also why I ought to be able to fly over your yard as long as I don't go too low, for example.)
Eminent domain is dangerous, as a legal idea, because it's about the governmen taking property for the "public good." That is scary and it gets misused all the time.