Over at Gawker there's an email exchange between a blogger and Steve Jobs. It's a bit heated, there were things misspoken bits on both sides and it doesn't change anything.
What it does do is clarify Steve Jobs' comfort level about pushing his close-fist agenda. When I buy a computer product I like to think I own it. That entails being able to do what I want with it. That doesn't include accepting the manufacturer as a morality firewall.
Jobs said that "some traditional PC folks feel like their world is slipping away. It is." Why on earth he would brag about an open system being converted to a closed system is beyond me. Yes, Apple puts out very nice hardware. Yes, Apple is currently the pinnacle of user interface design (though Android with SenseUI reviews put it anywhere from close to better then iPhoneOS). Yes, Jobs is making computers into easily used appliances. That's all great. What I can't get behind is that they are appliances linked directly to Apple. Your washing machine can clean clothes from any store. Your oven cooks food from all groceries. Your car will drive on anyone's gas on any pavement. Why should your computer not run apps that Apple hasn't personally approved?
I get why he wants total control. Who wouldn't? Plus it guarantees that the user get the simple interface he produces. An iPhone running tons of 3rd party software can get bogged down in bugs. What I don't accept is that he refuses to offer the option of making your own choices. I'm an adult. Perhaps I want porn on my phone's screen.
By the end of the exchange Jobs gets downright nasty and asks, in a sinister parody of "Where do you want to go today?", what the blogger has accomplished with his life. My guess would be writing. And if this email conversation is any indication I'd also guess that it'll be done on less Apple hardware in the future.
1 comment:
Revolutionaries become repressive conservatives. Look at mainland China. Mao was a revolutionary. Had the revolutionary guard, the little black book, the whole Szechuan enchilada. Then China morphed into one of the most repressive regimes on Earth. Ditto for Cuba. Cynically we can say ditto for the USA. The problem is that revolutionaries are so dedicated to their paradigm change that it sets and becomes the new orthodoxy. Let’s see if Google and Android can break the mold.
As far as a platform that I can be happy with… I’ve been programming since 1977. If I’m willing to learn the required technologies I think I should be “allowed” to write programs for my own devices. I don’t think that I should have to invest thousands in the process forcing me to produce commercially. My option is to vote with my wallet and that’s what I will do as long as possible.
Did I write all that without saying “Apple” even once? How did manage that?
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