Apple Corporation is Bad for Technology

[Boges]

Apple supporting terrorism.

[msj]

Cook has refused to do it. This should be interesting. Might need to get the SC to decide this one. Wait a minute.

Yeah, not sure if someone should start a thread on this or not. Big Guy's thread: http://www.mapleleafweb.com/forums/topic/25575-should-encryption-be-permanent/

I'm okay with his position even with the jokes about Apple supporting terrorism.

Hopefully my phone load of midget porn is safe!

Edited February 17, 2016 by msj

[TimG]

I admit I just assumed the FBI would be able to hack any phone without the need for this type of order.

Movies and TV give people a distorted view of what hacking is like. Most hacks are crimes of opportunity and not targeted (i.e. they try 1000 sites and find one with a hole and use it). The chances of being able to hack into a specific system because you want to are very low.

[msj]

Movies and TV give people a distorted view of what hacking is like. Most hacks are crimes of opportunity and not targeted (i.e. they try 1000 sites and find one with a hole and use it). The chances of being able to hack into a specific system because you want to are very low.

No, what I meant, is I expected that the government already had a back door into phones.

But maybe this is as Bonam suggests in that thread - just a sideshow to make people feel that their info is safe.

[TimG]

But maybe this is as Bonam suggests in that thread - just a sideshow to make people feel that their info is safe.

I doubt the government would care enough about people believing their data is safe to bother with the pretense. Some crypto algorithms can be broken by the NSA - others are unbreakable as long as your password is good. The issue here is a good password. Edited February 17, 2016 by TimG

[Bryan]

So much for the Apple-haters claims about iOS being so insecure!!

The thing people need to understand about this case is the FBI is asking Apple for something that does not exist by design. There is no back-door, Apple has no ability to let them in. If they could let the FBI in, then anyone with bad intent could also find their way in. A back door is an open door.

[Boges]

So much for the Apple-haters claims about iOS being so insecure!!

I don't think that was ever a concern. It's the fact that iOS severely restricts what you can or can't do on your own phone.

[GostHacked]

There are two issues here. Some of Apples patents are for 'design' and good 'design' is one of the things that Apple has brought to the tech world so it is reasonable that if they can get patents so stuff like rounded corners on icons. There is no technical reason that prevents a competitor from offering products without rounded icons that are just as good technically.

The trouble is the functional patents such as multi-touch, one finger scroll and pinch and zoom. There are only so many ways to create a touch interface and Apple DID steal these ideas from other companies so they have no business preventing others from using the ideas.

That said, the biggest thing that pissed me off is the relative value given to Apple's patents vs. Samsung's patents on wireless technology. Without access to the Samsung patents the iPhone could not be a phone yet Samsung agreed to license those patents at a fraction of the value assigned to Apples patents by the US jury. I would have rather seen Apple win the trial but be awarded damages that valued the patents the same as Samsung's patents.

The first line of telling a designer to not use rounded icons (patents) while saying Apple should not complain when others use the same tech (patents) is conflicting.

[Boges]

Idiots really are doing it.

http://nerdist.com/iphone-7-mockup-reveals-big-changes-including-gasp-no-headphone-jack/

And, of course, the pièce de résistance—or rather the lack of a pièce de résistance—no headphone jack. And if you’re asking yourself why this is such a big deal, here’s why: not only would a lack of a headphone jack mean a shift toward ubiquitous wireless headphones as well as making those expensive cans you just bought that do plug in through a jack totally moot, it may also mean Apple further pushing out third-party hardware developers in favor of its own proprietary tech. According to Digital Trends, Apple may already have wireless headphones dubbed “Airpods” in the works.

Hey Eff you and the Beats by Dre wired headphones you just bought for $200! You have to buy this $30 adaptor too. . . Because Apple!

[cybercoma]

The headphone decisions is mega stupid.

[msj]

I figure that if my parents own and use a BT speaker then this is not going to be a big deal for regular younger people.

I already started my move to BT headphones as explained in the headphone thread and I am very happy with it.

Get with times - wireless makes sense and if you must be wired you can always use the lightning adapter.

Better yet, why not avoid Apple products altogether?

Better still, don't buy them and stop whining about every little decision they make.....

[Boges]

I figure that if my parents own and use a BT speaker then this is not going to be a big deal for regular younger people.

I already started my move to BT headphones as explained in the headphone thread and I am very happy with it.

Get with times - wireless makes sense and if you must be wired you can always use the lightning adapter.

Better yet, why not avoid Apple products altogether?

Better still, don't buy them and stop whining about every little decision they make.....

Better yet, stop being so defensive when people make commentary about your precious products.

The thread is about debating Apple and their business model, Everytime I or anyone else brings up a legit news story, you trot in here with the "If you don't like, it don't buy it" comeback.

If Apple's stock price is any indication, their tactics aren't helping them.

I actually have BT earphones too, but I'm travelling soon and don't want to be charging them all the time, especially on a 7-9 hour flight, so having a wired option is always nice. They gonna get rid of earphone jacks on their Macbooks next?

It's just plainly obvious Apple is doing this because they can't stand having any part of their hardware be universally adaptable.

Edited September 1, 2016 by Boges

[msj]

It's just odd how people have to spend so much time on something of so little significance.

Don't like Apple; don't buy Apple.

It's so easy.

I don't think Apple products are that great - but I do like how they run so I don't mind being "captive" to them.

It is strange this obsession that you types have - Apple wants to do things differently but because you don't approve you have to crap all over them for it.

Why?

What's the point?

Don't you have better things to do in your life than be so negative just because they are different?

[Boges]

Yeah cuz I'm posting here All the Time.

I saw an article about it, have an opinion about it, so I'll post about it. It's how forums work.

I'll admit, however, that even though smartphones are integral parts of everyone lives, they're starting to plateau in the innovation department.

I can't remember the last App I downloaded that amazed me.

I guess I'm still amazed with how Google can follow and recommend stuff for everything I do. But that's cross platform.

Edited September 1, 2016 by Boges

[?Impact]

Apple is doing this because they can't stand having any part of their hardware be universally adaptable.

Bluetooth is very universal, Apple has no lock on it. I agree however there are reasons you want to have wired headphones. Are you allowed to use bluetooth on airplanes? There might be an exception because of its low power and limited range.

As a side note, dual cameras - great improvement. Apple was making a lot of noise about the iPhone 6 and it's camera capability, it appears they are getting serious about this use.

[Bonam]

Yeah cuz I'm posting here All the Time.

I saw an article about it, have an opinion about it, so I'll post about it. It's how forums work.

I'll admit, however, that even though smartphones are integral parts of everyone lives, they're starting to plateau in the innovation department.

I can't remember the last App I downloaded that amazed me.

I guess I'm still amazed with how Google can follow and recommend stuff for everything I do. But that's cross platform.

Smartphones are just a platform, like computers. They will continue to get incrementally better and faster, but their uses are limited by whatever humans come up with. When was the last time you were "amazed" by a computer program? Are these programs there to amaze you or just to allow you to do useful things?

Seems like the next thing a lot of big companies are looking into to try to "amaze" people is VR and AR. VR looks pretty cool but the applications seem limited for now. VR gaming is not great cause no one has come up with a good control scheme, and VR video lacks engaging content (you can only look at soaring landscapes and cityscapes for so long). VR porn is pretty good, though. As for AR, Pokemon Go had some initial success but the fad quickly wore off... people will need to come up with applications that have real usefulness.

[Bryan]

The headphone jack is technology that is over 100 years old. Apple has never been shy about abandoning old tech for something better. Even if it was their own thing they were replacing with something that was open to everyone. There have been a few times where they've done so before people were quite ready for it, but every single time the rest of the consumer electronics industry has followed suit.

Do I like the idea? Not really. I've got some nice new Sennheiser Momentum 2 headphones, and I'd like to be able to plug them in to my iPhone. That said, I CAN plug them into my current phone quite easily, and the easiest thing in the world if you don't like a new thing is to just not buy that one. Also, I've done a simple (and easily reversible) DIY bluetooth conversion to the Sennheisers so I COULD use them in any manner I wanted to if it came right down to it.

Besides that, I didn't like it when they dropped the floppy drive, SCSI, Optical drives, ADB/PS1 ports, Firewire, spinning hard disks, and a bunch of other things either. I wasn't ready for those changes yet, but Apple was still correct that the next thing was better.

[overthere]

I disagree. Land property rights did not exist until mass societies were created (a.k.a. governments). Land property rights did not exist in tribal/nomadic societies. There is no universal "property right".

Of course they existed in tribal societies, and without govenment fiat.

Land has been cultivated for thousands of year, and farmers in the Fertile Crescnt built walls to enforce their right to the land they developed into the first domestic crops. Their right came from their work, and from their ability to defend their crops by force.

[Boges]

The headphone jack is technology that is over 100 years old. Apple has never been shy about abandoning old tech for something better. Even if it was their own thing they were replacing with something that was open to everyone. There have been a few times where they've done so before people were quite ready for it, but every single time the rest of the consumer electronics industry has followed suit.

Do I like the idea? Not really. I've got some nice new Sennheiser Momentum 2 headphones, and I'd like to be able to plug them in to my iPhone. That said, I CAN plug them into my current phone quite easily, and the easiest thing in the world if you don't like a new thing is to just not buy that one. Also, I've done a simple (and easily reversible) DIY bluetooth conversion to the Sennheisers so I COULD use them in any manner I wanted to if it came right down to it.

Besides that, I didn't like it when they dropped the floppy drive, SCSI, Optical drives, ADB/PS1 ports, Firewire, spinning hard disks, and a bunch of other things either. I wasn't ready for those changes yet, but Apple was still correct that the next thing was better.

But you know Apple isn't doing it because Bluetooth is better and headphone jacks are an outdated technology, they're doing it so they can force people to use their proprietary earphone jack to squeeze more money out of the consumer.

Which is fine, I won't be buying an iPhone anytime soon. But it's laughable that a move like this makes the Apple experience better.

I suppose it'll allow them to make the phone thinner, but we're already making phones bigger, not smaller and anyone with any sense of responsibility will be getting a protective case for their $700+ smartphone.

Edited September 2, 2016 by Boges

[Boges]

Smartphones are just a platform, like computers. They will continue to get incrementally better and faster, but their uses are limited by whatever humans come up with. When was the last time you were "amazed" by a computer program? Are these programs there to amaze you or just to allow you to do useful things?

Seems like the next thing a lot of big companies are looking into to try to "amaze" people is VR and AR. VR looks pretty cool but the applications seem limited for now. VR gaming is not great cause no one has come up with a good control scheme, and VR video lacks engaging content (you can only look at soaring landscapes and cityscapes for so long). VR porn is pretty good, though. As for AR, Pokemon Go had some initial success but the fad quickly wore off... people will need to come up with applications that have real usefulness.

I'm just saying the capability of a smartphone have kind of plateaued a bit. I remember when I got my first smartphone in 2012, I was excited every time I'd get a new OS pushed and would scan sites for cool new apps I could download. Not so much anymore, and I have a pretty top of the line Android phone.

People have been talking about VR for awhile, I remember a poster here saying that it'd be the future. It was being promoted as a way to watch the Olympics last month, don't know anyone who actually did it.

I don't know of any legit practical purposes for it yet. Motion capture games were a fad, and so would VR games because you can't actually move in these environments.

[Bonam]

I'm just saying the capability of a smartphone have kind of plateaued a bit. I remember when I got my first smartphone in 2012, I was excited every time I'd get a new OS pushed and would scan sites for cool new apps I could download. Not so much anymore, and I have a pretty top of the line Android phone.

I dunno, I think the capabilities of the phones are improving just as fast as ever. Processor speed is going up, ram and storage are going up, screen resolution is going up, battery life is going up, camera performance is going up, data speed and bandwidth is going up, etc. As for apps... yeah most of the obvious cool stuff within the current paradigm has already been come up with.

Still, my Galaxy S7 has many useful features/improvements over my previous phone: waterproof, camera that focuses quickly enough that it never comes out blurry if I move the phone while taking a photo, always-on display that shows me time/notifications without touching the phone, etc. Is any of this revolutionary? No. But there's really nothing to be revolutionary about... it's just a computer in your pocket and does the things that you'd expect that to be able to do.

People have been talking about VR for awhile, I remember a poster here saying that it'd be the future. It was being promoted as a way to watch the Olympics last month, don't know anyone who actually did it. I don't know of any legit practical purposes for it yet. Motion capture games were a fad, and so would VR games because you can't actually move in these environments.

Yeah I dunno if it will take off or not. And in any case VR is not necessarily related to smartphones. A standalone dedicated VR system of some sort is more likely to achieve sufficient immersiveness/interactivity to be useful first, before smartphone-based VR systems do.

[msj]

But you know Apple isn't doing it because Bluetooth is better and headphone jacks are an outdated technology, they're doing it so they can force people to use their proprietary earphone jack to squeeze more money out of the consumer.

Which is fine, I won't be buying an iPhone anytime soon. But it's laughable that a move like this makes the Apple experience better.

Exactly, if you don't like it then don't buy it. Oh noooooosss, a business tries to make money from people, what is the the world coming to!!!!

BT is not proprietary.

I can switch at any time to an Android device and take my wireless headphones with me.

Once you make the switch to BT headphones you can use any system you want.

But sure, Apple probably should come up with some kind of "audiophile" standard to justify their lightning port but that's just niche market stuff anyway.

[Boges]

Exactly, if you don't like it then don't buy it. Oh noooooosss, a business tries to make money from people, what is the the world coming to!!!!

BT is not proprietary.

I can switch at any time to an Android device and take my wireless headphones with me.

Once you make the switch to BT headphones you can use any system you want.

But sure, Apple probably should come up with some kind of "audiophile" standard to justify their lightning port but that's just niche market stuff anyway.

This doesn't even approach doing away with wired headphones. As you say, Apple will have an adaptor for wired headphones to be compatible.

It's just a money grab, that all.

Edited September 2, 2016 by Boges

[msj]

Do I like the idea? Not really. I've got some nice new Sennheiser Momentum 2 headphones, and I'd like to be able to plug them in to my iPhone.

As an Apple user I am surprised you would not have considered the possibility of Apple's switch with the 7 and bought accordingly.

I knew it was coming sooner or later so I updated to BT a little while back.

Very happy with my decision.

Will likely need to update the household headphones once I get the 7 or 8 and a new iPad next year.

But that's fine - they are due for an upgrade anyway.

I mean, nothing wrong buying new headphones every 5 or 6 years is there?

Now it's easier to explain to the wife: but honey, Apple is making me upgrade. DAMN THEM! (shakes fist at sky while smiling on the inside).....

[msj]

Currently wired headphones are more than a niche market. This doesn't do away with wired headphones, as you say, Apple will have an adaptor for wired headphones to be compatible.

It's just a money grab, that all.

I meant the audiophile listener market (those people who subscribe to Stereophile magazine) are a niche market.

I doubt Apple is going to be grabbing much money: there is lots of competition for Android devices that will have the jack and for headphones that are not Beats.

If anything, it may cost them from people who don't like the change and will switch accordingly.

Despite that risk they appear to be carrying on with whatever plan they have in mind.

I don't think this is going to be a windfall for them and I don't think they are going to lose that many people over it - it just is not going to be that big of a deal since BT is ubiquitous.

It's like when Apple switched from their 30 pin to the lightning - people went on and on about it. Years later does anyone care?

Change happens; BFD.