Bonum Certa Men Certa

Apple Redefines Freedom, Lies About Its Products, Blocks Competitors, and Helps Microsoft



Summary: Apple's misbehaviour not only attracts an antitrust probe but it also shows whose interests Apple is serving (other than its own)

Steve Jobs is against freedom. He just is. He redefines freedom by calling the banning of everything he does not endorse the "freedom" from this thing (be it competition, GPL-licensed software, or pornography). Skip to around 22 minutes from the start of this new video from Professor Larry Lessig. Lessig is a longtime Mac user, but he really gives it to Jobs in that talk. He also recognises that GNU/Linux (yes, he calls it "GNU Linux") is the better way to go.



Here is the latest example of controversial censorship by Apple. [via]

Not since Amazon removed digital copies of "1984" from people's Kindles while they slept has there been such a hilarious episode in the ongoing slapstick farce "Let's See What Happens When Corporations Become Publishers."

Apple has censored a "Ulysses" comic book app -- just in time for "Bloomsday" -- because of a picture of Buck Mulligan's stately, plump cartoon penis.


There are many examples just like that. Apple is still controlling people's phones, as a gatekeeper at least.

According to this article, Apple may be faking its sales figures (statistics being gamed).

During his WWDC 2010 keynote address, Apple CEO Steve Jobs boasted that the iPhone was currently number two behind RIM in smartphone sales. He quoted a Nielsen survey but there was a noticeable absentee in Apple’s stats - Symbian. So what’s the truth?


Apple's fake or artificial hype is a subject that we covered here many times before. "Lies, damned lies, and technology hype" is the headline of this new article about Apple's numbers.

Now we come to Apple's latest anti-competitive practices. "Apple Wants to Kill Its Mobile Advertising Competitors," says this article:

Apple (AAPL) seemed to relent on letting other advertising networks have access to iPhones and iPads. But that’s an illusion. The company’s actions, in context, show that Steve Jobs wants to completely lock down advertising and control all forms of revenue when it comes to iOS. The result is now an escalating level of federal scrutiny that should make any CEO nervous.


More coverage in:



Google has already responded:



TechCrunch has published "The Conundrum Of Being An Independent Mobile Ad Network Under Apple’s Rules" and Tobin drew our attention to the lack of control over corporate power. Will the government step in to counter Apple? Well, before Apple's hypeAd service is even launched, an antitrust concern [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] goes through and the "FTC Will Investigate Apple," says AndroidGuys (biased source, but there are others like Wired).

“Apple not only dishonours freedom but it also supports other companies that dishonour freedom.”Given that Google's CEO used to serve in Apple, one would think that Apple should support Google but it is helping Microsoft in new ways [1, 2, 3] although only to an extent. According to more boosting from Todd Bishop, it's not just Safari but hypePhone too where Apple links to Microsoft. This is not the first time that Apple helps Microsoft. They have a lot in common.

In conclusion, Apple cannot be trusted by Free software proponents. Apple not only dishonours freedom but it also supports other companies that dishonour freedom. Why pretend that this is not the case?

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Why We Publish Information About the SLAPPs (But Not About the Legal Process), an Abuse of Process by Americans Trying to Silence Critics of Their Employer, Microsoft
It doesn't take thousands of pages to explain something simple
 
The Register MS Says "AI Web Crawlers Are Destroying Websites", So Why Does The Register MS Help 'AI' Companies? (Spoiler: Money)
People need to call out The Register MS on its hypocrisy
Slopfarms Already Peaked, They Will Die When Slop Companies Run Out of Money to Borrow
slopfarms will lack an actual "engine"
Links 02/09/2025: Attacks on Unions, Microsoft TCO, and DDoSing a Growing Problem
Links for the day
Internet Relay Chat Didn't Fall Off a Cliff
IRC will turn 40 in less than 3 years from now
The UEFI 9/11 - Part V - This is Not a Drill (Disable "SecureBoot" Now)
A "9/11" Coming
There's No Obligation to Speak to Anybody
The very fact that "bkuhn" is till spending time in social control media says a lot about his poor judgment
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, September 01, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, September 01, 2025
Microsoft Trying to Force People to Resign (Amid Mass Layoffs) a Strategy That Takes Its Toll
Microsoft seems to be circling down the drain and the "final flush" will be the moment the "hey hi" (AI) bubble implodes completely
Google Simply Cannot Be Trusted
Only fools would trust GAFAM
Admission That a Third Party (or Parties) Funds the SLAPPs Against Techrights
This can end up costing them over a million dollars
Modifying and Writing One's Own Computer Programs is Not a Crime (or: Google Proves That Stallman Was Right)
We're generally gratified to see so many positive mentions of him
Why We Stopped Publishing Videos (for Now)
We'll probably get back to videos one day, but it's hard to say when or to what extent
What Animal Rights Activism Teaches Us About Sympathy and Focus
It's possible to believe that the planet is warming, that we must do something about it, and still eat eggs and butter
When You Turn Web Sites About Tech Into Political Sites
A lot of people fall into the trap of catering only for particular groups
Gemini Links 02/09/2025: ROOPHLOCH 2025 and Lagrange 1.19 Released
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/09/2025: News Corp. WSJ and A Month With NixOS
Links for the day
“Sideloading” Never Killed Anybody
There are many online discussions this week about the misnomer "sideloading"
Slopwatch: Google News as FUD Vector Against Linux and Plagiarism Enhancer, Serial Slopper (SS) Uses LLMs to Googlebomb "Linux"
Slop destroys the Web not just by screwing with search engines and helping plagiarists. It's also responsible for de facto DDoS attacks...
Links 01/09/2025: "Attacks on Science" and China's "Soft Power" Grows
Links for the day
Links 01/09/2025: Fresh Backlash Against Slop and "Norway’s Electricity Crisis is About to Hit Britain"
Links for the day
Writing and Coding Isn't Always Enough
Last year we had to assume a role we didn't have before: litigants
Links 01/09/2025: Catching Up (Mostly via Deutsche Welle), "Windows TCO" Effect in UK
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/09/2025: Linguistic Barriers and "Web 1.0 Hosting"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 31, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, August 31, 2025
Autumn Has Come
Autumn should be exciting in all sorts of ways; it'll also mark our anniversary
The UEFI 9/11 - Part IV - External Interference
They all seem to be playing a role in crushing Software Freedom and self-determination for users
Links 31/08/2025: Baggage Claim Scams, an Insurrectionist’s War on Culture, and a Sudden Robotics Hype
Links for the day
Gemini Links 31/08/2025: Reviewing Netsurf and Slightly Less Historic Ada Design
Links for the day
IBM Has Taken Control of GNOME
Don't expect a successor to be found any time soon
Links 31/08/2025: Google Gmail Data Breach and LF Puff Pieces for Pay
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, August 30, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, August 30, 2025
This is What Google News Has Become
Moments ago