I have seen this more and more lately, the standard reaction to anything Apple in the tech community is pitchforks. I have a feeling subconsciously we all want Apple to fail at something and try to latch on to anything remotely blamable.
>I have seen this more and more lately, the standard reaction to anything Apple in the tech community is pitchforks. I have a feeling subconsciously we all want Apple to fail at something and try to latch on to anything remotely blamable.
I think that's a counter reaction to a whole bunch of people who think Apple can do no wrong at all.
Exactly, but I think it's rational. Software is hard, damn hard to get right -- even if you get the math side correct, there's always UX to damn your product. It's only reasonable that a company that gets so many things _right_ is both so loved by some, and expectant to fail by others.
I think the reaction was appropriate. It confirms the major points that people were upset about: 1) that the data is stored unencrypted, 2) that it lives even after you turn off location services, 3) that it was taken without explicit permission.
This press release doesn't change any of those points, it merely places the blame on bugs (which wouldn't have been patched had the story not been uncovered).
Isn't this comparable to the Google/Buzz fiasco, which was met with similar (deserved) scorn?
which wouldn't have been patched had the story not been uncovered
That's a pretty cynical reaction. Why would you make that assumption? Do you think that if someone had alerted Apple privately to the bug they never would have gotten around to fixing it?
I think there wouldn't be the same sense of urgency. I don't think that's cynical at all; that's the way business works. I've never worked at a company that doesn't push something when enough customers make a fuss about it.
Personally, I consciously want the iOS to fail. I want to be able to install any OS I want on my tablet without voiding my warranty, and Apple's done a great job of setting a trend against that. If Apple provides boot camp for the iPad, I personally will probably shut up and buy one.
Locked-down bootloaders are the norm in the high-end tablet space, because Apple set the trend. Yes, there are a handful of freely modifiable ones, but I don't want my hardware choices constrained to those vendors which deign to let me use the hardware I've purchased as I please.
That's twisting my words a a bit isn't it? I don't like what Apple is doing. Other manufacturers imitate Apple. I want Apple to fail in the hopes that other manufacturers will stop imitating Apple.
I'm sure other manufacturers would stop imitating Apple if Apple failed.
But that's an incredibly negative view isn't it? By imitating Apple, the other manufacturers simply aren't contributing anything meaningful. It seems unlikely that Apple's failure would make them suddenly unleash a wealth of creativity and contribution on the world. If they had it, why wouldn't they be using it right now?
Wouldn't it be better for Apple to succeed, and the imitators fail? That way, we'd get the best of both worlds. Advancement of technology from Apple, and a clear marketplace signal that imitators are not wanted.
New companies and investors would who wanted to succeed would no longer be tempted to imitate but might actually innovate.
I have seen this more and more lately, the standard reaction to anything Apple in the tech community is pitchforks. I have a feeling subconsciously we all want Apple to fail at something and try to latch on to anything remotely blamable.