Interesting Article: iPhone Users Bill of Rights

[Randy B. Singer]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/05/27/apple-iphone-monopoly/

 

[MacInWin]

The article, in part, says this:

Could you imagine spending $1,000 on a laptop, but not being allowed to use whatever software, games or e-books you want?

But that happens every day! How many times have we told folks here that MS Office for Mac runs differently than MS Office for Windows. Or that a product like OnyX, or DayOne only run on Macs, not on a PC? So you cannot buy Office for Windows and run it on a Mac.

As for ebooks, I get them from Amazon and read on the Kindle App on my iPhone all the time. It is no hassle to buy them and they download automatically to the Kindle reader. That is a really thin argument. You can even buy the book on the iPhone, just use Safari to go to Amazon. Or Brave. Or use the Amazon app. I just did that this morning to get a book.

Not that necessarily disagree with all of the article, but his rationale is pretty weak in those two areas. And the whole Fortnite thing has me confused. How is it that Apple, with 24% market share of mobile phones, is a "monopoly?" If you don't like the Apple approach, go get a different phone. 76% of the market made that decision, freely.

 

[chscag]

I don't know where the author is getting his information from regarding eBooks. For years I have been downloading eBooks from Amazon and reading them on the free Kindle app for macOS and iOS. What restrictions is he referring to?

 

[MacInWin]

I don't know where the author is getting his information from regarding eBooks. For years I have been downloading eBooks from Amazon and reading them on the free Kindle app for macOS and iOS. What restrictions is he referring to?

The only thing I can think of is that you can't buy an Amazon book from within the Kindle reader. But then again, you can't buy a canoe that way, either, which said he could do. The whole article was very thin on logic, long on emotion, and basically click-bait.