I was talking to a friend the other day and mentioned I was getting a new MacBook.

He then went on a tirade against Apple for about 15 minutes during which I just let him carry on.

The stuff he was spouting was unbelievable. It takes the word "hater" to a whole new level.

He first went on to say that Apple were trying to develop (and enforce) a proprietary WiFi system that would only allow Apple devices on it and that they would stop Apple devices from working on regular WiFi systems. The same was true (he said) about network cabling. To back this up he cited the fact that you can't use iTunes with any mp3 player but the iPod or iPhone etc... He also stated that even if you knew what you were doing you couldn't get at the actual files because they all get given encrypted names and put in random folders etc... (I'm sure they get put in a hierarchy of Artist - Album - Trackname don't they?)

Anyway, he also said that Apple were bringing out there own cellular network in America that would only work with Apple Devices and that they would stop Apple devices from working on any other type of cellular network.

He said "Apple are going to tear the IT industry in half".

Like I said, I didn't try to inflict reality on him and just let him carry on. He's the kind of guy that won't take any other alternative view on tech stuff.

Now, I don't know whether these accusations against Apple are true or not (TBH neither would he) but just thinking about them in terms of actual reality.

If Apple was to bring out its own exclusive WiFi system it would be a deal breaker for 95% of current iPhone users. Given the choice of reaplce your phone for something not Apple or replace all your other existing devices (computer, laptop, broadband router, phone, XBox, etc...) just to get a new iPhone that works on your home network. I can see what most people would do.

I know there are fan boys and haters but at least they have their opinions based on something closely resembling reality. This stuff was proper tinfoil hat stuff.

it wasnt a previous incarnation of Gav or EBL was it?
Both sides have their extremes and it can be hilarious as they get more and more ludicrous to defend their standpoint (Marklar77 on the emergency pizza option )
Apple make good products (IMHO expensive for what they are but thats my opinion ) but I think their business practices suck (as most big capitalist. corporations do).

Far as I can see the phone networks are falling over themselves to sell iPhones, so if it was something Apple were considering doing then it wouldn't be the best business decision. In fact, they'd be kicking themselves in the nads. Apple need the networks as much as the networks need Apple.

Why would Apple even want the hassle of running their own network anyway? The thing is, they wouldn't. Leave the network side to people who know what they're doing and already have the infrastructure in place and stick to selling the hardware and software.

It's amazing the sheer volume of bullsh!t that's produced by certain people with an axe to grind against Apple - 99% of it is not even based on facts. Don't get me wrong, if Apple screws up, I'm the first to complain and let my views heard - I'm not a fan of the direction Mac OS X is taking with Lion and how Apple want us all to upload all our data to the cloud - but it's quite amusing to hear some of the bile people spew up when Apple is mentioned!

really? think of the profits that could be made by charging the more clueless users through the nose to use it. they could even make a deal with one of the larger telcos and have them do the actual running of the network, then lock the phones to it at software or hardware level.

note that im not saying they are or will, just that it wouldnt be such a bad idea for them. if any Apple execs are reading this, i expect my share of the profits

I had some Open Source bang on at me once that Apple’s core system was Linux. He would not have it that it was Unix at all. So I left him to his delusions. You just can’t argue with some people

That's another thing. He started complaining about the fact that "You can only run Apple software on Apple devices".

I asked him to try and run Microsoft Word in Linux.

That shut him up about that argument.

cant you use wine to run word?

let me guess, this guy had an Android phone right ?

Setting up a cellular network, especially a 4G data network, is ludicrously expensive. Even in a small country like the UK, let alone for a nation the size of the United States. The very notion that Apple (or indeed anyone whose primary business isn't 'providing mobile telephony services') would burn through the hundreds of billions of dollars required to do it is, well, fantasy of the strangest sort.

Jon

However, if you think that's freaky, try this.

Apple believe in closed systems and not consumer choice. That should tell everyone everything they need to know.

You need to understand the proper scale of how much setting up and running such a thing would cost. Even assuming a country as small as the UK, they would need millions of people to sign up to very expensive tariffs to even look at breaking even, given upkeep costs and the initial cost of deploying a national comms network. You'd be throwing 10's of billions of pounds at it, with the prospect of making millions of pounds of profit. Nobody would make that kind of deal.


Errr... that's how they started off. You do remember that, right?

Jon

Have you been spending a lot of time with Fogmeister recently?

Example?

Yikes! Very freaky!

But I loved this comment:

Not on the device, my iPod classic is full of XJFR.mp3 in F folder... nothing sequential or organised about it (the id3 tag remains though so Media Monkey can rip it all back and organise it for me)


Some of it isn't... I mean the connectivity stuff, they forced Firewire on people initially with the iPod, AirPlay is heavily proprietary (even over stuff like DLNA which can be a pain in the backside choosing equipment) and then bringing out DisplayPort when only Dell used it