The ipad and piracy (my little rant)

The ipad is coming out soon as you know. And also as far as I know the only ways to get apps into the ipad is download from the app store or jailbreak it. And the downsides to jailbreaking are all too obvious. You could brick your ipad by not jailbreaking it properly or a future ipad firmware update could brick jailbroken ipads.

So that is a risk many people (myslef included) are not willing to take. And you can't just download any application for the ipad from the net. That's my understanding of it. So inshort making the ipad so closely linked with the app store, it means there is no way (without jailbreaking) to get an app without the appstore. Unlike the ordinary Mac where you can install almost anything from anywhere.

So without knowing it (or maybe they do and have not told us) Apple made a way to ensure every app downloaded to the ipad is an app paid for by the user. So the App developers see their cut of the $ from every download as does apple see their cut from every download. And those $ go to Apple to make better products and the App developers to make better Apps.

So in short the whole point I am trying to say is:
With or wirhout knowing it, the Appstore is helping combat software piracy.

Do you agreee with my opinions here?

I agree and disagree.

Obviously it helps to combat software piracy.

What it also does, however, is cuts out any developers, indy or pro, who want to provide software without going through apple first. This is a dangerous precedent. How long until apple starts applying these restrictions to OSX or M$ to windows to make that extra cash, and slow down the flow of free open source software? Or software that some people may want but apple deems too racy?

I don't know that that's anything they're looking into, or if that's even legal, but that kind of precedent scares me.

As far as a paradigm goes, the iPad is no different than the iTouch/iPhone that preceeded with the ways you can install Apps and so on. So whatever means of combating or not combating piracy were in place before will continue to work with the iPad..

The iPad itself doesn't change any of what has already been going on..

Regards

I kinda think eventually Apple will have to loosen up a bit about controlling apps so rigidly, especially if the iPad concept eventually grows to compete more directly with laptops. Although I can see advantages to the App Store, and I haven't ever really felt overly restricted with my iPhone.

I like the additional security and stability (I think) I get with Apps controlled and vetted by Apple.

Having said that, I don't like anyone having veto power over my use of something I've purchased--just as long as I don't steal their intellectual property, as in reverse engineering or reuse of their code etc.

If I pay for it I ought to be able to use it as I see fit if that use doesn't adversly affect someone else.

That applies in spades to data ports--there is no way I should be restricted in my ability to freely transmit data that I own back and forth between devices that I own. Again, as long as my doing so doesn't adversly impact someone else.

My opinion

The iPad has not been and will never be intended as a tablet/notebook/netbook/laptop replacement..it is and will always be a handheld Internet (tight controlled at that) device..it is yet another revenue stream for Apple and as such Apple will not let people install things willy nilly to their hearts delight without Apple having some say and getting compensated for it..

And iPad isn't a concept..it's a product..

Regards

SweetCosmicPope said:

I don't know that that's anything they're looking into, or if that's even legal, but that kind of precedent scares me.

Click to expand...

I agree with you totally. But this kind of thing is already happening. Take Nintendo for example. The only way to get a game onto the Wii, be it Wiiware or a game on DVD is through Nintendo. And you have to pay the big N a little fee for the privelage for a game on their system. And I'm sure the same is in effect for the Xbox and PS3.

So Apple is just doing the same thing. And yes I do realise this started with the touch/iphone first. My rant is really more a appstore rant then just at the ipad.