DingDingDingDingDing!!!! Someone gets it.
Sure, parents should take responsibility, but that doesn't give supposedly reputable companies the green light to screw money out of kids the millisecond a parent turns their back.
These "freemium" games are cleverly designed by amoral advertisers to place temptation and peer-pressure on users to rack up in-app purchases - especially the ones that mix "play money" with real currency. They are highly likely to catch out even a kid who you'd trust implicitly not to steal money from your wallet.
Personally, I feel that they are a pox on the face of gaming - I'd rather buy a game for a sensible price and get something tailored to give the best gameplay than play a "free" game in which all the gameplay was directed at getting me to keep opening my wallet.
Parents out there
Stop spoiling your kids!
Go throw them outside and let them play for Christ sake!
Why back in my days we'd play till it got dark not on our devices.
How is this Apple's fault?
Why can't there be an option to disable in-app purchases?
ohhh you mentioned christ.
I assume those stating it's not Apple's fault and parenting fail also believe that Apple should pull apps that have porn or any other offensive material and/or insist it's rated appropriately.
Right?
Because it's all under the same umbrella.
Is't it true that anything and everything that Apple sells, including all the apps, all the music and all the movies that they sell carry a PG rating?
I mean, if you go to Disney World for vacation with the kids, you can rest assured that no porno is available on the hotel TV. No Playboy Channel, no suggestive advertisements in the lobby, nothing that would harm children.
Same thing with Apple. They don't sell pornography in the App Store or anywhere else. You can let your kid use the iPad to watch movies downloaded from the iStore, and you can be certain that NOTHING there would offend the little tykes, or worse, cause them to ask you any embarrassing questions.
That is one reason Apple makes so much profit. They are a family company. They are like the Disneyland of the gadget world.
iPads, iPhones and TVs have become baby sitters. Many dint want the responsibility of keeping an eye on their children.
You're right, I'm 30 and even though I had Nintendo and Sega, if I wanted to play. It was outside. Those were only for the evening.
Imagination gets lost from a child when they have nothing more then video to play with.
I'm sorry but that doesn't make much sense..
a parent gives their kid an ipod because they don't want to keep an eye on them but somehow, sending your child outside to play is an action of a more responsible parent??
re: imagination.. dunno but my daughters are constantly making little movies and such.. shooting photos.. drawing etc on their iPad.. seems to me the imagination is going strong and is actually being encouraged via certain apps..
yes.. imagination does get lost from a child.. it has happened to most everybody on the planet for all of humanity.. and by blaming that on video games, it shows you have in fact lost your imagination.. (""no need to figure out the real reasons why adults generally have a lot less imagination than they used to.. I'll just randomly pick something to blame it on and treat it as fact.. I'd rather avoid critical thinking "")
How is this Apple's fault?
I assume those stating it's not Apple's fault and parenting fail also believe that Apple should pull apps that have porn or any other offensive material and/or insist it's rated appropriately.
Right?
Because it's all under the same umbrella.
It's not, it's a parenting problem. Personal responsibility is a dying art.
It's not, it's a parenting problem. Personal responsibility is a dying art.
I'm not a parent, but common sense should have been applied (don't hand your kids devices associated with your credit card), laziness to be proactive about the situation is not Apple's fault.
This is a sad but true fact.iPads, iPhones and TVs have become baby sitters.
Except your logic falls apart when you consider that the same issue occurs if you lend your iPad or iPhone to a buddy to play a game and they purposely (or not) rack up charges on your card.
Bad parenting?
Too easy of an excuse - and smoke and mirrors.
The bottom line is - the purchasing process was flawed. Even if you want to argue parenting - it doesn't change the fact that their was a flawed purchasing process.
it would be neat to see you explain how this is a parenting problem.. in a way that shows you actually know what the original post is about.
How is this Apple's fault?
It's no different than if you lend your car to your buddy who doesn't have sufficient insurance and then gets into an auto accident. You then become liable (at least in my state). Same with a lending a friend anything, e.g., a lawn mower. If they use the lawn mower but damage it, whether through neglect or through normal use, you don't sue your friend. You accept (in advance) that this might happen and you fix it. If your friend is really a person of integrity, then that person will offer to (pay to) fix or to help (pay to) fix the problem. When you let someone use something you own, you assume partial responsibility for that person and are in essence vouching for that person. If you don't want that risk, don't lend out your possessions.
Bad analogy - it's not the same.
This issue never affected me - but let me know how you feel when/if your account gets compromised based a flawed purchase process.
Again - the issue has nothing to do with all of this smoke and mirrors. There was a flawed process for purchases in the app store. What else is there to really discuss? Apple fixed the flaw and is now paying back those that were affected by the flaw.
I guess people can gripe or try and blame other people - but it seems rather silly.
like I said.. it would be neat to see an explanation of how this is bad parenting in a way which shows you actually understand the issue in the OP..It's no different than if you lend your car to your buddy who doesn't have sufficient insurance and then gets into an auto accident. You then become liable (at least in my state). Same with lending a friend anything, e.g., a lawn mower. If they use the lawn mower but damage it, whether through neglect or through normal use, you don't sue your friend. You accept (in advance) that this might happen and you fix it. If your friend is really a person of integrity, then that person will offer to (pay to) fix or to help (pay to) fix the problem. When you let someone use something you own, you assume partial responsibility for that person and are in essence vouching for that person. If you don't want that risk, don't lend out your possessions.
To those who are saying essentially that Apple is doing this because they believe there's some vulnerability given the legal complaint, Apple is doing this for the same reason insurers pay off scammers... to make them go away.
If you're going to reproduce, have the common sense to make sure your child is old enough/mature enough to know to ASK you for permission before tapping something to 'buy'. My daughter was 9 for her first cell phone and 11 for the first iPhone. First rule of iPhone... don't buy or even download anything without permission. Simple rule. And lo-and-behold...no 'unknown' charges.
If you're a parent that lets a child who doesn't know any better do this, then you deserve to have your money taken as a "stupid tax".