I don't see people looking forward an iPhone for the walled garden. They just want a good smartphone that runs the apps they need.
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Apple's U.S. iPhone User Base Overtook Android in June Quarter, Now Accounts for More Than Half of All Smartphones
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Sure, let’s do the same for cars and houses too!
I find interesting how Apple ("the privacy friendly company") make business and accept billions of $$$ every year from Google ("the worst offender") to make Google Search the default engine in Apple devices. Don't you think Apple should drop the billions of $$$ they take every year, and move their customers to a more privacy focus search engine, as DuckDuck Go? IMO, it will look better from a privacy POV.
I don't think it helps Apple privacy stance making business with Google, considering they are as bad as you said, don't you think?
I do think. I'm not arguing with you at all.
I think you misunderstood my point. I totally agree with you on this. Just further confirmation that Apple's privacy stuff is becoming more about marketing than anything else.
Unfortunately I feel this "push" and competition had let to an overflow of rushed functionalities/features. The optimisation of Apps and iOS where much better on the first versions.
I used to be able to discover most functionalities without any tutorial. Now I have to search the web on how to use "simple" features (ex: the long exposure feature on iPhone 13 Pro, ).
This flood of features overwhelms users. My opinion…
They carry a lot of cultural cachet here and iMessage is king. I think Android is a much smarter OS and it is more flexible, but I understand Apple's hold on the American consumer. They make good devices.
Same effect. Not sure what your point is other than to enhance mine.
I wonder if there is any similar data available for tablet sales? I’m curious to see how iPad is enjoying the nearly nonexistent competition…
Cars yes, houses no. Houses usually gain value, while cars value decreases as soon you type the pin of your card into the terminal.
Ohhhh, this explains so much. This is why Apple has their Uber-rich line of iphones now: to give the previously elite class typical Apple customer a way to differentiate themselves from the peasants who also now have iPhones.
Clever Apple 😜
Clever Apple 😜
If customers don't want to use Google Search, there is always the option of switching to another search engine, like what I have done. Though DDG is essentially a white-label Bing, and had its share of controversy until recently, I believe.
The thing is - Apple defines privacy as giving consumers the choice of whether they want to be tracked by developers or not (hence ATT). It's the people in these forums who choose to subscribe to their own extreme definition of privacy, and then blame Apple for not living up to those arbitrary standards that Apple never agreed to adhere to in the first place.
It's a straw man argument through and through.
And the annoying thing is that this will probably set the tone of Apple criticism for the current decade. From 2010 to 2019, the narrative was that Apple's ecosystem was too "closed" and limited and people would abandon their iPhones in droves for cheaper and more "capable" android handphones. But over the past three to four years, things have changed. Apple cynicism focusing on a weakening ecosystem no longer generates the views and clicks as people don’t buy it. People can see right through the cynicism and know that it is wrong. Apple is stronger than ever.
Instead, Apple cynicism has clearly shifted to focus on how the company is too strong, and too focused on making money to the detriment of the consumer. Everything Apple does is said to be done with profit (and only profit) in mind. If Apple tries to enforce its rules around App Store in-app purchases, the move is framed as Apple turning the screws on profit generation. Because Apple takes a cut from Google, they are not serious about protecting my privacy (which I maintain is categorically untrue). ATT is not about protecting user privacy but another way of generating revenue by means of selling ads. Apple is trying to gouge its users by having the MBA ship with "only" 8gb ram. Or force handset upgrades by not supporting the iPhone 7 with iOS 16.
So no, I don't think there is anything wrong with Apple taking money from Google (for the reason that I stated above). There is some sweet irony in that while Android has a larger market share than iOS worldwide, and for all the talk of how google services are presumably so indispensable and Apple would be screwed if Google were to ever withhold their services / apps from the iOS platform, Google still earns more from iOS than its own android platform, and has to basically pay Apple to ensure this continued access.
Let's be honest. If Android would just be consistent and not break on the slightest of whims, I'd stay with it. However, with my latest phone, a Google Pixel 6 Pro, it's had nothing but a myriad of issues with it, to the point of absolute frustration. It can't retain the eSim, it drops it after 2 weeks, leaving me without phone service until I reset the phone. Its voice activation is hit and miss. The latest update has broken the wireless charging and now I have to keep the phone on a leash at all times, hoping it won't die on me. I've had nothing but heartache and woe with at least the last 3 generations of Android devices that I've had that I'm dead set on going to iPhone 14 the moment it is announced. I am fed up with it. I absolutely understand why people are going away from Android now.
Planned this, rumored that. But even if CSAM and ads do appear - as I suspect they will (or in the case of ads already have in the App Store) - neither need be to the detriment of privacy if done right. E.g. TV networks have shown ads without privacy invasion for almost 100 years.
In general, monopoly power as defined in anti-trust law is more than just 50%. It means one participant in the market has gained the upper hand and can control pricing. But there never was an 'app market' before Apple created it, so I have a hard time understanding how Apple could have a 'monopoly' in it. For someone to gain monopoly power in a market, a market with at least 2-3 participants needs to exist - otherwise who did this one participant wrestle control over?
Now I realize the reason for Samsung's campaign against the iPhone 14 ¿Is samsung afraid?.
I started with Android, bought a flagship phone. I was assured that the next Android version would be coming to my phone, waited and waited and waited and never came. Playing music through Bluetooth in my car, I run into 7-eleven with the car still running, come back into my car with no sound...then suddenly it comes back at max volume almost destroying my eardrums, luckily the car had a protection system and immediately lowered the volume. I bought an iPhone after that and never looked back.
Some months ago, I was asked to send photos of me to my doctor. And the only option (other than refusing) was via ordinary email.
No secure gateway, no uploading process, nothing other than embedded within or attached to an email.
What I photographed was not some particularly private part - but I was not exactly thrilled by the possibility of everyone in the surgery potentially viewing the photos. (Those photos also ended up on iCloud servers and email servers.) And it made me wonder about some future in which it was my groin, or contained a tattoo I really didn't want the world to see. Or something else. Each of has our own boundaries - and they are not always obvious.
The idea that innocently snapping my own flesh for medical purposes could trigger something and cause accounts to be blocked is horrifying. Sure - the Google case was a bit more than that. But sounds just as innocent.
I wonder how much of this is thetered to the blue iMsg thingy. I bet the difference in the rest of the world is still huge towards android just because blue msging is non-existent. Whatsapp unfortunetly rules on everything, even regular calls are being displaced by WA voice calls.
Planning to follow the trend and switch to iPhone this year after 10 years in the Android camp starting with a Nexus 4. The smartphone / ecosystem trends converging right now just make the overall picture for (premium) Android going forward look too bleak to try to hang in there if you demand a lot from your tech.
(-) Apple selling 3x as many $400+ phone justifies way more R&D $ than Samsung et al. (hardware gap grows YoY)
(-) Apple dominating high spenders means more investment in iOS app development (app quality gap grows YoY)
(-) Apple dominating wearable tech sales justifies more wearable R&D $ (wearable quality gap grows YoY...)
(-) Apple dominating high spenders means way higher quality accessory ecosystem (accessory quality gap grows YoY)
(-) Current Android wearables being hot garbage for health tracking - bad heart rate / hrv, sleep tracking, SpO2 etc.
(-) Google being notorious for their inconsistent commitment to their Pixel line
(-) Samsung / Android OEM's continuing reliance on Qualcomm
(-) Samsung's half baked "Ultra" line -buggier software, slower fixes, less polished / consistent camera experience etc.
I much prefer Android (and am really going to miss my S22+'s amazing 6.4" form factor), but I simply don't have time for an ecosystem that falls further behind every year.
(-) Apple selling 3x as many $400+ phone justifies way more R&D $ than Samsung et al. (hardware gap grows YoY)
(-) Apple dominating high spenders means more investment in iOS app development (app quality gap grows YoY)
(-) Apple dominating wearable tech sales justifies more wearable R&D $ (wearable quality gap grows YoY...)
(-) Apple dominating high spenders means way higher quality accessory ecosystem (accessory quality gap grows YoY)
(-) Current Android wearables being hot garbage for health tracking - bad heart rate / hrv, sleep tracking, SpO2 etc.
(-) Google being notorious for their inconsistent commitment to their Pixel line
(-) Samsung / Android OEM's continuing reliance on Qualcomm
(-) Samsung's half baked "Ultra" line -buggier software, slower fixes, less polished / consistent camera experience etc.
I much prefer Android (and am really going to miss my S22+'s amazing 6.4" form factor), but I simply don't have time for an ecosystem that falls further behind every year.
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There is the monopoly, antitrust is coming for you, Tim.
Apple's iOS has already long been part of a duopoly with Google's Android in mobile OS. As has been discussed on this forum, being a monopoly or part of duopoly in the U.S. is not itself illegal but anticompetitive behavior is and that's where antitrust regulations come in and where Apple's "walled garden" can become an issue.
Agree. Apple could make a bold(er) statement on privacy if they ended their default search engine agreement with Google.
Agreed, its stupid and concerning that the dr office did not provide a secure way to upload the pictures. The app from my Dr. office has at least a secure way to upload files within their app ... still I would have to take the photo on my phone to upload it there and then it might still synchronize to the cloud (iCloud, Google Photo or whatever the user uses) unless I remember to turn off backup, take picture, upload picture and then turn backup on again.
However, triggering that alert is not my main issue with that case ... the problem is that Google refuses to turn on the accounts again even after aw enforcement verified that this was not child porn, no harm was done and all was good. What the hack? Locked out of your digital life and no way to reactive it even though you did nothing wrong? Full automation without human responsibility is the problem. Hope Apple will handle that better (remains to be seen)
This is what happens when you post comments too early in the morning. 🤦♂️
I read again your post, and I agree with you. I think Apple have a better privacy stance that Google, but you question that stance when you see the agreement they have with Google.
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I don't know about eliminating automobile financing completely but shortening the available terms (to 48 months or less) would certainly help to bring down average transaction prices and cut down on repossessions, credit problems, etc.
Several decades ago, long term car financing typically meant 36 to 48 months but lenders have continued to lengthen available terms and now the average new car finance contract is close to 70 months. Instead of consumers being practical with their purchases and using long term financing to bring payments down, it has lead them to buy more and more car than they really need or should have.