Apple

Post 44:

*MAP UPDATE*
McCain is now winning in Virginia, Colorado, Nevada, and OHIO!!!! Even PPP is saying that there is a tie in Ohio right now. North Carolina and Florida are now solidly in McCain's Camp. While there is still an Obama victory, a win of almost any other state into McCain's camp switches the outcome of this election.
The current national polls have Obama at +3.2; however, the most recent released has them tied.

*END OF MAP UPDATE*



Note, I am talking about the computer (yes, computer, not software (will detail later)) company Apple, not the record with rights on The Beatles.

Yes, I am aware that this is another attack on Apple, even though I attacked their Mac products so recently ago; however, unlike that posting, this time I am complaining about other parts of the actual company and their practices. Apple annoys me in three primary ways: you are a hardware company, stop pretending to be a software company - Your Ringtones, Updates, and DRM Music in ITunes - You are not Issac Assimov, let's think of new names already. Apple is a great company that has a good solid base (hence why they are a good investment choice) yet they are starting to piss off their users. Apple (the hardware company): What Really Grinds My Gigantic Notched Wheels.

You Are A Hardware Company, Stop Pretending To Be A Software Company:
Apple recently has cornered 8.01 percent market share and looks to be attempting to catapult itself into the big time with the Ipod and Iphone lines. Microsoft (and Linux and various other OS'), however, will always have one leg up on Apple; that is, Microsoft (and the others) is a software company, so they can make far more money far easier (assuming that they do not kill themselves with their own invention (as Microsoft is doing with The Internet (more on that another time))). Microsoft has a huge market share because user can customize their machine to fit their specific needs and still use the OS or other programs owned by MS. By doing this, MS is opening itself to all sorts of companies and special needs, not limiting itself. A perfect example is that MS Office runs perfectly (hell, better) on OSx even though it is a rival system. Apple, on the other hand, limits their OS to the products that they make themselves. Apple programs software in order to sell hardware, thus, they are a hardware company. This limits the market as there is less business (what gamer would want a Mac) and also the hardware is not always worth getting. If Apple would allow other manufactures to use OSx (for the license fee, of course) then I do believe that they could catapult into a large market share (hell, at that point even I could justify getting OSx). Until they do this I feel that Apple will be stuck at less than 10 percent of the overall share.

Your Ringtones, Updates, and DRM Music in ITunes:
I got an Iphone on Friday (which, interestingly enough, I used roughly 10 minutes after gotten to take pictures of the back of my car after it got hit... YAY for technology) and have been using it with only a few minor problems. What irks me though is how Apple charges extra for the normal things on any other phone these days. On my Chocolate (LG via Verizon) I was able to create my own ringtones and send them to my song, only a normal data text fee applied. With the Iphone I am required to purchase a song in the ITunes Store and then purchase a ringtone off of it (THATS RIGHT, I NEED TO PURCHASE THE SONG TWICE). Of course, there is a work-around that I discovered but it takes roughly 10 minutes per song and is quite a lot of work. Why the hassle here Apple?
What about the Updates now? Every time I update ITunes it asks me to install Safari. Well, Safari is an extremely unsecure browser and just basically bloat ware on my system. Apple, the company that claims to have no bloat-ware in their commercials (speaking of their commercials, I have not seen one recently between the two characters, anybody know what happened?) is almost forcing it onto me (I can not tell it to 'don't ask this question again'). Furthermore, some basic upgrades to the firmware on the IPhone require me to pay $10.00 to get. This is absolutely insane.
If I purchase a song I expect my Fair Use rights to extend to all rights currently allowed. Apple, on the other hand, seems to think that my rights only extend to the purchasing computer AND ANY APPLE IPOD/PHONE. According to the agreement I am not allowed to add this music to any other Mp3 Player. This is asinine and absolutely intolerable. Why should I not be allowed to use my purchase where I want to. Provided I do not violate the law Apple should not police me. Apple claims to be the lesser evil of the OS world, but more and more they seem to be policing us all.

You Are Not Issac Assimov, Let's Think Of New Names Already:
Ipod, Imac, Ibook, Itunes, Iphone, Idisplay, Ilife, etc., etc., etc.. Apple seems to have taken the novel 'I, Robot' and used its title for everything they can think of. I know that the masses name Apple's products (hence why the IPhone 3G is named 3G instead of 2G (following Apples normal manner of naming succeeding Ipods)). Keep the Ipod/Iphone line (along with the needed Itunes) and then start renaming everything else. Apple named the AppleAir well and so they should do it with all their products (thankfully it is not IAir). It is high time to retire their I-product line and come up with new things that have their own product line. It is a lot easier to identify a product when it has an actual name instead of a suffix added on. Microsoft makes the XBox, Zune, Vista, Office, etc.. Only one of those products is always used with 'Microsoft' in front of it (MSOffice). These products can stand on their own and everybody knows what they are. I don't know what ILife is and if my friends didn't have IBooks I would think that they are actual books. Apple should keep one line Iblank (probably Ipods and Iphones (with itunes)) and then change the rest.












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Thanks,
Robert M. Barga,
Editor of http://whalertly.blogspot.com/
barga.24@osu.edu



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