Is Apple Evil?
I’ve been listening to my normal bout of podcasts and such lately and it seems that many are being very critical of Apple recently. The purpose of this blog is to discuss this perception that is created, in large by the media, and whether it is accurate or not.
First, it should be known that recent practices that have come to light to the public at large are not a recent change for Apple. We’ll discuss this more in a bit.
Apple has made several business decisions over the years that have brought them great wealth and great losses. What we are talking about is the company’s decisions on how to approach computers and consumer electronics. The products may be niche products, but they represent Apple’s attempt to enter certain markets that they feel they can compete. Apple invested millions in the products they produce and they aggressively promote and defend those products in the market. Many successful products go through the same basic process to gain market share.
The exact process of how Apple goes through the development process is a tightly held company secret. One things that appears to be generally agreed upon is that the products developed are created first through design and then through engineering. This mean the company is highly focused on the user experience from cradle to grave. For those who have purchased Apple products, you’ll know that every detail is considered right from the moment you open the box. The consider the materials, the finish, the fit, the presence and location of every screw. Often this leads to the use of materials that may be more expensive or manufacturing processes that cost more to setup and run.
So, h0w does this matter when we are talking about the current market environment as it relates to Apple? Simple. They are continuing to run their business as they always have, and it currently is working out well for them. The company is both profitable and successful.
So, why doesn’t Apple let you upgrade their computers (except the Mac Pro which is upgradeable)? One could argue that the vast majority of customers have neither the knowledge nor the desire to do so. They want to plug in the device and have it just work — like a light switch. Once you add the ability to change the hardware to random bits and bobs, the ability for the system to be stable drops considerably and support costs go up dramatically.
So, why doesn’t Apple let you put OS X on any machine? I’m not sure the reasoning is any different than the above. Companies spend big money supporting the configurations involved, whether it is internal IT or someone calling Microsoft for help with a problem. You could also ask the question; Why can’t I put my TomTom software on my Garmin? Why would you want to?
So, why doesn’t Apple allow you to run multiple apps at the same time on the iPhone? User experience. On other platforms that do permit this, battery life is usually unacceptable. Background apps are always consuming resources whether you know they are or not. As an iPhone user, I’m not sure how much I’d use it for practical purposes, and I haven’t had a situation where I needed it.
So, why doesn’t Apple just allow any application into the iTunes App Store? A poor application can have several negative impacts to the phone. For example, crashing my be perceived as an iPhone issue which raises support costs. Malicious apps could attempt to steal personal information. Apple may also be restricted by AT&T for the types of applications that they will permit on their network (since many will indicate it’s not great to start with).
Apple decided that all of the other features on the iPhone aside, it still needs to be a phone. Like their other products it has just work. I know that of all the phones I’ve owned, nothing allowed me to really take advantage of some of the basics like the iPhone did. SMS on traditional phones is a painful process unless you were born after 1990. For the rest of us, it’s pure torture.
If you do not want to deal with the decisions that Apple has made, then you have choices. Buy an Android phone, or buy any of the cacophony of computers available and run Linux or Windows, or what have you. You have choices. You wouldn’t go into Burger King and demand they make you a Big Mac, would you?
Does this mean Apple is right? No. Does this mean those that don’t agree don’t have a right to say so? No. Apple sells millions of devices a year, and there is always going to be some complaints. However, the market seems to be responding with their wallets and indicating the methods Apple is using to approach their devices suits their needs.
It’s also important to say that Apple is making other manufacturers try harder to make products their customers want. Windows copies from OS X time after time. The cellphone industry has gone through a revolution by the appearance of the iPhone. Even if you hate everything about Apple, you have to keep in mind that the alternatives you choose have been influenced by the existence of Apple challenging the status quo.
Apple provided me an alternative to the distractions and frustrations presented by the other devices I worked with over the years. I don’t feel as though I made a compromise, and I’m much happier with the solutions I have today with the Apple logo.
footnote: I am not an employee of Apple, nor do I own any stock or represent them in any way. I’m just a person that buys products and has an opinion.
Tags: Opinion
We like to talk about industry news a lot on the SMACKDOWN. We speculate based on news/blogs from analysts and industry gurus and our own experience with tech. One of the problems with speculating about the future of tech is that unless you are one of the executives at the corporate table, it’s all just guess work. Another problem is that competition and human behavior are unpredictable.
We had a really awesome show on our other podcast called 
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