It is the end. Jason “The Animal” Calacanis is thinking about maybe quitting using Apple products, reporting that the company has gone all corporate and mainstream and that Steve has lost his hippie, dippy LSD edge. Look at this language, people:
Years and years after Microsoft’s antitrust headlines, Apple is now the anti-competitive monster that Jobs rallied us against in the infamous 1984 commercial. Steve Jobs is the oppressive man on the jumbotron and the Olympian carrying the hammer is the open-source movement
For folks in the tech industry, this is not a new discussion. Another radical visionary, Steve Gillmor, has been hosting this discussion since Apple’s draconian iTunes updates led smart people to *downgrade* their software. Think about that mind bomb for a second: people downgrading their software to maintain their freedoms–is this a William Gibson novel?
Steve Jobs is on the cusp of devolving from the visionary radical we all love to a sad, old hypocrite and control freak–a sellout of epic proportions.
This is not the thought process of a well man. Perhaps Jason spent too much time next to his Tesla roadster or maybe the stress of running Mahalo has finally gotten to him but someone needs to send Jason an iPod Shuffle STAT. Intra-cardial insertion of the Shuffle, much like the needle in Pulp Fiction, has been known to snap anti-Apple zealots out of their madness.
In all honesty I kind of agree with him. His reasons for picking Apple are sound. In terms of tech-per-day, PC and Macs tend to a one-to-one parity. I switched to OS X because every few months I’d have two weeks of intermittent problems with my PC, requiring a full reinstall of XP or 98 or whatever I was running. I called it the Week of Shame. With OS X problems are much more impressive (one recent problem occurred when I upgraded and needed to roll back yet Time Machine didn’t recognize the old back-up) – yet fixable in about a day.
So would I give up Apple. Never!
As for his five points – including his anger at iPod/iTunes lock-in and the App Store debacles – his complaints are pretty common but have come to a head because now instead of hipsters losing their music collections those same hipsters, now self-styled mobile businessmen, are being denied access to a lucrative revenue stream (see Palm Pre v. iTunes and People Who Make Dictionary Apps v. the App Store).
We at TechCrunch are required to follow the company line. For example, we are no longer allowed to use iPhones or shake hands with people or accept embargoes and we are prohibited from wearing red while blogging (long story). However, Michael – and his little pal Jason – can pry my 10-inch MacTablet out of my cold, dead hands when/if it ever appears. Which it will. Because Jobs loves us and is good.
Well, it’s Sunday, so you can make with the long story. Why the verboten red attire ?
Interesting article, but it raises one essential question which JB must answer… What’s with the red not being allowed while blogging?
Like Louis-Eric said, we’ve got plenty of time – especially since i’m on vacation.
So tell us!
Jason and everyone who is fir whatever reason, “Against Apple” can suck my cock.
F you all, you mother fucking assholes with nothing better to do than make fun of an intelligent, innovative company. One of the few left out there.
It’s easy to innovate when you’ve got an army of sheep who will buy anything sight unseen.
Good call, I lol’d
Apple doesn’t innovate.
nuh uh jvp. the commericals tell me that apple is indeed innovative, and leading edge, and all sorts of great things. love the ads.
lol cillian. thanks.
It has to to with Les Miserables, that’s all I can say.
Mhh, I read the whole thing (fantastic read btw). From memory the only things that are red in it are the wine, the fire, and the bullet wounds.
Which of these became so commonplace that its symbolic color was forbidden ?
Good article!
The fact of the matter is whether we like it or not, Steve Jobs is a capitalist and an excellent marketer. There is nothing wrong with this – nothing at all. It has made him a very wealthy man and extremely successful.
The idea of his anti-establishment character and all is wonderful and it is who he is.
Steve Jobs is a visionary and an uber intelligent man – give him a break!
HollyM
http://www.thessayist.com
“…anti-establishment”
Yes. Giving us something worse.
Hitler was anti-establishment, too.
Bad comparison, but I’m just saying.
There’s nothing wrong with being a capitalist. But monopolistic dominance isn’t free-market capitalism.
There’s also nothing wrong with pointing out when Jobs is being hypocritical. If you’re only anti-establishment until you become the establishment, then you’re not a revolutionary, you’re just another self-centered jerk.
Let’s definitely acknowledge his good qualities, but that doesn’t mean he lacks bad points, too.
monopolistic dominance is capitalism if a company maintains it by delivering value in the niche. If it does it with civil action or by government decree, its probably not.
in a purely capitalist system, there might not be intellectual property (which sort of requires coercion), but there certainly would not be a government commission deciding whether a company is competing too well or offering products at too low a price.
these things may be features of the American system. but capitalism is another thing entirely
Are you high? You’re saying Jobs is capatalist and then at the same time he’s anti-establishment?
Its as simple as: he’s a businessman, he’s here to make a profit, and as long as sheep are eating his manure, he doesn’t care how or where that profit comes from.
Apple is really good at making itself look like some friendly, loving, heavenly company – thats called clever advertising. But they are NO different to any other in the IT game, morons who watch a commercial and take it as fact because they blindly want to believe Apple is some godly amazing company are the reason Apple have been a) successful up until now and b) has become a piece of rubbish over the past 20 years.
>Its as simple as: he’s a businessman, he’s here to make a profit, and as long as sheep are eating his manure, he doesn’t care how or where that profit comes from
this is one of the best ways i’ve heard that described.
i just thought holly was being a little bit tongue in cheek, but could completely be wrong.
Bandwagon, jumped.
“The Animal?” I’m guessing he gave himself that nickname.
Animals lick their own asses.
I’m sure your own brown nose didn’t come from a day at the beach.
I remember when Apple were cool.
This has been coming for a while, folks. Deal with it.
“now self-styled mobile businessmen, are being denied access to a lucrative revenue stream (see Palm Pre v. iTunes and People Who Make Dictionary Apps v. the App Store).”
Why not just say you don’t feel like buying Apple? It would make a lot more sense than the silly BS above.
Since you apparently missed the news, because you’re not in the news business, the dictionary app “fiasco” was generated by the developers, not Apple, to round up free publicity for themselves.
Was there a point you wanted to make here?
Apple are going to fall hard if they don’t sort things out soon. Clearly Jobs hasn’t learned from the last time he tried to completely control the product and got brutally steamrollered by Billy G and his cheaper knock offs.
Same shit, different decade.
Look at the bright side: it was a slow news weekend and I helped you fill you quota with a post that took no more than seven minutes to write. :-p
Obviously I love and accept our Apple overlords, I just want it on record that I’m part of the group of folks who are getting more and more frustrated by Apple’s behavior. It feels like they are devolving and becoming the thing they once hated most: Microsoft.
Microsoft is looking pretty good these days aren’t they?
Microsoft as a company? Maybe. But they’ve always been well behaved when they’re behind. Hard to imagine a time when this was true but up through about version 4 Internet Explorer was the most standards compliant browser.
As for products that compete with Apple they aren’t looking good in any relevant way. Windows 7 puts them in striking distance of OS X but Zune and Windows Mobile still suck.
Behind?
LOL. You really have no idea do you?
Google is looking better! As a person who has to question development effort, where would I expend it in the mobile space after my experiences with Apple? Not with Redmond!
Will you be lessening your Macbook Air purchases? :P
(I’ll never forget on TWiT when you told your assistant to buy two or three of whatever Steve raised above his shoulder)
If I had money like Jason I would do the same thing lol.
Nobody gives a %$#@ about what you say.
@Calacanis
obviously Crunchgear does
It feels like they are devolving and becoming the thing they once hated most: Microsoft.
Google “Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis”
Actually it seems like a new trend for tech nerds to bash Apple these days. Let me give you my five points:
1. Did Palm or any other company approach Apple to have them open up iTunes?
2. Apple has the right to reject any application from the AppStore. It’s there store, the FCC and everyone else is missing that point. What’s next forcing the Gap to sell clothes by Aberbrombie and Ftich?
3. Apple has partnerships with many telecommunication companies. AT&T was the best choice for Apple in the US and remains to be so. Having used all of major mobile companies in the US (Verizon, Sprint, old AT&T and Cingular, I don’t count TMobile, because they are not a major player in the US, maybe in CA, but nowhere else), the new AT&T is by far the best. It’s the only carrier that actually works in my house! And I travel quite a bit for work and it works fine.
4. Good God, why would anyone want another browser on their iPhone. It’s bad enough on Mac to have to deal with people using Firefox. Do other phones give people the choice of browsers?
5. GoogleVoice, see #2. But the issue is not just an Apple and AT&T issue. Apple has many telecommunication (see #3) partners, so it may be a case of talking to them all. I personally would never use a Google owned Grandcentral. But I consider Google the enemy.
Your a corprate CARRIERWHORE who is undercover, go by your true name bitch, APPLE BRASKO!
“Apple has the right to reject any application from the AppStore. It’s there store, the FCC and everyone else is missing that point. What’s next forcing the Gap to sell clothes by Aberbrombie and Ftich?”
Ah, but your analogy falls flat.
There are plenty of stores where Abercrombie and Fitch can sell the wares. If The Gap doesn’t want to sell their clothing, there are a number of other options.
With the iPhone? There is only one App Store. If I write an App and Apple won’t distribute it, that’s it. End of story.
(By the way, before somebody brings up jailbreaking, my agreement with Apple forbids me from using Apple’s tools to distribute via the “jailbreaking” scene.)
That’s where the whole “It’s Apple Store” argument falls flat.
“Apple has partnerships with many telecommunication companies.”
This is where we run into some interesting pitfalls in navigating around Apple’s “partnerships.”
Example 1: Airport Express
When Apple announced it at WWDC, I assumed that developers could use it. Not so. The only app that’s allowed to use it is iTunes. The data is encrypted and there is no “hole” so that someone else could use it.
Why? Because Apple has agreements with the music industry.
Example 2: iTunes Ring Tones
There is absolutely, positively, no way that anyone–other than the music industry–can claim that making a ringtone is not fair use. Yet if I buy a CD with a song on it and want to use a portion of that song as a ringtone, I have to (a) rebuy the song from iTunes and (b) spend another 99 cents to make it into a ringtone.
Why? Because Apple has agreements with the music industry.
These agreements with the music industry hurt developers and users. Why would think they are a good thing with phone companies?
“Good God, why would anyone want another browser on their iPhone. [...] Do other phones give people the choice of browsers?”
They probably wouldn’t–personally, I like Safari. If Opera were available for the iPhone, I probably wouldn’t use it.
But why should Apple make that choice for me?
And, yes, other phones let you choose. Windows Mobile has a number of different browsers (since IE sucks). The company behind the Opera browser is developing a version for Android. Palm Pre doesn’t.
Your Example 2 is not true, in fact in Apple’s very own GarageBand allows me to create ringtones for the iPhone from CDs. It’s easy and works quite well, you should check it out.
Also I’ve discovered that there people have written plugins and apps which sync music from an iTunes library using Apples APIs. So it’s a case where Palm was just being lazy.
And who said that that Apple is rejecting different browsers.
And by the way there are browser alternatives to Safari available in Apple’s iTunes Appstore:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=317286301&mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=317836614&mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=303154925&mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312105516&mt=8
@John
And MA is saying the same thing not normaly a good idea to contradict your editor :-)
Steve Jobs is not a capitalist, he’s a fascist and their’s a huge difference. Regardless both styles boast completely dominating the people who raised them to their current status.
Bite the hand that feeds you styles of rule never work. We only need to look at the history books to see that.
I believe it really is sad that Steve Jobs and Apple have become more evil in their rise to the top of the high end computer electronics market, but really what would you expect from a geek?
Raising red, or black, flags isn’t going to win any points in articulating an argument! That said, a top down approach will ultimately lose in a web world. It is sad to see Apple behave this way, but we have an alternative, an increasingly sophisticated alternative, in the web.
Apple’s behavior with Voice admits as much.
umm..a quick reminder Jobs is not one man doing everything here.
In any other company that would probably be true about the CEO. But this Apple and Steve Jobs we are talking about. It is common knowledge that he is involved in every decision made at that company and rules with an iron fist.
Sure, but the recent app rejections and board firing happened when he came back
“A strange world where the decision to change one’s brand, or mobile telephone is considered a life-defining moral act.” In terms of windwos, “because every few months I’d have two weeks of intermittent problems with my PC, requiring a full reinstall of XP or 98 or whatever I was running.” Can you elaborate? What could have possibly been running (or downloading) that would require you to reinstall that often? And XP for that matter.
Why is TC so snarky all the time?
Because they are making drama their stock in trade.
OK, so Jason feels that Apple are either Evil, or going that way. As a long time Linux user, I’ve only recently found the joys of the Apple, and have to say, in some cases closed and corperate when done right is good. iTunes works for the reason simply, as an end user who doesn’t know about downloads music and the like, mt great unwashed, when iTunes was launched had no other real choice. Apple started the music store as a financial concern which worked. Apple redeveloped the Smartphone, and how Apps are delivered to the end user, they have single handedly made micropayments a major business concern. And they have managed to do all of this because the people at the top produce what the masses want. Had they not, apple would have died years ago.
They are not a company in the Opensource arena, they have shareholders, and customers who would go to battle for them.
I think there are a few people out there, who don’t realise that Steve jobs never was an LSD Hippy, he has always been as sharp as a tack, business astute individual, who should not be bemoaned, the hippy stuff is your perception, what you’d like hime to be, not what he actually is.. Deal with it.
Wrong.
Steve Jobs, as readers of John Markoff’s “What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry” may remember, dabbled in psychedelics in the 1970s and has called his LSD experiences “one of the two or three most important things I have done in my life.”
Who is this Calcanis person, and who cares why he wants to stop using the best available products for incomprehensible, not to mention incoherent, reasons? Savvy users use the best available product – most of which are from Apple.
You have no idea what you’re talking about. Please go away.
Well said!!!
Ahahaha…
I still can’t figure out what people are doing to require a full reinstall of Windows every few months. I’ve had XP for 5 years on this computer and I’ve only had to do it ONCE and it was my own fault that it happened. It’s just a matter of simple computer maintenance.
I don’t know. It always happened that something weird would just crop up. I’d consider myself a power user, at least to some degree, but it happened like clockwork.
Jason, you more than likely had a faulty hardware glitch, had a notebook thing would corrupt every few months, was the damn hard drive, reformatted xp and it would work for a few months then wham. Now I have had vista running solid for 2 years on a new system, (and I mean 2 years 24/7, I never turn this machine off) no issue. All computers have issues now and then, Macs are no different, users and their abilities are, and well Mac users are technically challenged for the most part, not their fault really, they went for easy when buying that mac, leaves them with a false sense of superiority and an over inflated image of Apple.
“Mac users are technically challenged for the most part”
Your comment is redundant. Windows computers are by far the most common in the world, and most people in general (outside tech blogs) are ‘technically challenged’. You could say, then, that most technically challenged people use Windows, but that comment would be as twisting the truth, and as pointless as your comment.
I would guess the majority of Mac users who read Tech Crunch are far from technically challenged in any case.
“Mac users are technically challenged for the most part”
*giggle*
*chortle*
*snort*
*guffaw*
I work at a very large, very successful software company. Many of our top of the line developers use Macs. Our own Macs, not ones furnished for us (the PC’s they gave us we recycled into Linux servers). I assure you, we are not technically-challenged, at least compared to the general population.
Hey buddy, I’ve had good experiences as well when working with PC’s and Windows. I can do my job just fine on a PC, and all the fun stuff to. My Mac just works better about 99.3% of the time. The issue isn’t completely black, or white.
Just note that some of us would rather give back a perfectly serviceable PC and spend >$2000 of our own money to use a Mac (caveat – buying our own also means we get to use them for personal use as well). Maybe we’re mentally/emotionally/technically/meta-physically challenged. Or maybe we’re just EVIL.
(and no, I don’t work for Apple. They force their top engineers to use Apple II’s)
You two monkeys aside my point is the vast majority of people I sell Macs too can barely figure out where the power switch is until you show them, They buy a Mac because some marketing told them its easy, sure it is and mb works great too. I use a combination of computers, Win, Linux and Mac with windows being the dominate cause I just have allot more software for it and the argument that Macs just work better is pointless, they all work and if setup correctly work fine, no difference, however I would target OS and machine for specifics, and I guess thats my point, know your shit, anyone who uses computers allot knows each machine has its benefits, none is superior, but that doesn’t stop the mindless hoards of apple people who constantly say oooh Macs are better, they’re easier, suckers and to a tech salesman thats money in the bank.
First of all its “to”
Secondly, if they cant figure out where the power switch is, god help them on a dell, or any other company who ships their hardware without putting user experience on top of their priority list.
As someone who fixed at least 6 computers a day 4 days a week for 6 years it all comes down to one word… Porn
(Sorry John, but there’s nothing wrong with having “needs”)
yeah, it was the porn. *sad face, tugs at pants*
I am also a power user, but likewise have had to wipe and reinstall XP every 3 years because it gets unbearably slow. I’m thinking (hoping) my new Mac will alleviate me of this annoyance.
as a power porn user, my mac is still as fast as 3 yrs ago.
this is also true
yeah the same happened with my old comp…but that was cause i killed it fooling around with some code, and i thought it was gone so we built a new comp, and sent the old one to a friend and he fixed it. said it was not a big problem. i wish i was a nerd and knew what i was doing half the time.
Why would you say he is out of his mind. He is right. I back this fully. Apple is getting too big for its own good. Jobs has lost his edge. Failure seems to be the future.
This thread is lame. Deal with it.
Your lame. Deal with it!
His lame?
My lame?
Time has changed. Apple is forbidding iPhone users to install Google Voice app called “GV Mobile” on the device. They decided to take it off App Store. Why? Just because.
This smart phone is essentially a computer with operating system and an ability to install third party software like any other computer. When I called Apple, tech support representative informed me that Apple does not have to explain why they are forbidding me to install Google apps after I purchased device planning to use it with Google Voice. She also informed me that App Store is like any other store has right to choose what they put on their shelves.
Well, I respect their choice, but the last time I checked in my neighborhood mall none of their stores are FORBIDING me to use products from anywhere else but from their store. Does Apple respect my choice? Communist China government did not dare to make Lenovo give me a list of software I can install on my laptop. Lenovo respects my choice because they know what will happen with their laptops if they would try to deny this choice to people in free world.
Just imagine what would happen if Microsoft would make an agreement with Comcast and set up a list of software you are allowed to install. What if they allow you to connect to internet only through Comcast? What if Comcast decides they don’t like some software and a week later Microsoft would FORBID using it without any meaningful explanation? That would definitely be considered mafia-like behavior and nobody would tolerate it.
We are not tolerating this behavior neither from China, US government, Microsoft, nor from Comcast. For how long are we going to tolerate this behavior from Apple? I erased my iPhone, I smashed it with hammer and I will send it on Monday to Steve Jobs, c/o Apple 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014
Time has changed.
Stick it to the man!
(ps you need help)
Well, fascism comes sneaky through the garden, with a colorfull bouqet in its hands.
does it bring candy? because i like candy.
“Wenigstens zwölf Jahre gut gelebt!”
“At least I had a good live for 12 years!”
(Nazi-monster Hermann Göring, 1893 – 1946)
There is indeed an unspecific amount of people receiving candy from fascism.
Nazi haters always fails to see that most of top rank Nazi officials are Jews.
Calacanis is just upset mahalo sucks donkey balls.
what are you talking about, “upset?” he’s milking it to stay in the mainstream, which is possibly the entire point of the company itself.
I received Jason Calacanis’ newsletter and although I don’t read everyone – this one I did. He, like Molly Wood, Michael et al, have possibly been forced into this decision by a two pronged attack – AT&T [number one] and Apples sheer megalomania for not allowing anything to touch their precious OS/Phone that they deem dirty or competitive [number two]!
If Jobs had been insistent on open/fair and spread the hardware updates across the network providers, then all this would have been negated due to user choice. BUT ask yourself if this would have been the situation IF the provider hadn’t been AT&T. Hackles wouldn’t have been raised so easily. I have certainly heard Wood and Calacanis whine about the service, dropped calls, coverage etc in the past…hmmm
Just saying…
Answering his question, I really think apple should be sued. Microsoft has to pay billions for just making IE the default browser, and Apple is getting away with this? Did Jobs give every government official in the world a shiny new iPhone?
Sue for what specifically? The EU’s case against M$ and it’s bundling of IE was predicated on a 90%+ PC marketshare and a pre-existing browser marketplace that they gamed in order to dominate. Does Apple really compare here? Make the case please.
Mike’s doing the right thing by switching away from the iPhone, while still admitting he’s really excited about the iTablet and will buy his family a whole set. If actions by him cascade into effective market pressure on Apple than everyone – especially us fanboys — will benefit. Besides, Palm needs something special for it to survive & thrive as an independent company.
Jason, on the other hand, is crying out for attention, pimping his personal brand. It’s what he does, and he does it well.
I love these Richie-Rich tech people with oodles of money to burn and the propensity to “speak with their dollar” who try to influence everyone else based on their own principles in their personal bubble-world.
In the real world: no one farking cares about how App Store developers are treated, whether or not Apple has “lost its edge,” if they’ve “sold out” or gone corporate, or if an already-owning-an-iPod person can’t connect his friends’ Sansa mp3 player to iTunes.
For some people (will speak for myself) who SAVE money over a long period of time to afford an Apple product so that it will just work, I could not care less about any of this elitist garbage.
Some have their “principles” and “opinions,” and that’s fine. But these rich folk are in their own world(s) with their Teslas and high-rolling toys that us schlubs will never be able to afford will NEVER influence me to a point where I trade in the one computer in my house that actually WORKS and doesn’t require a bunch of maintenance just based on a company losing its “attitude” or for rejecting a few iPhone apps & hurting the feelings of a few developers. Yeah, I get that the latter is rotten…and wrong…and am sorry that this handful of folks are out some money, I’ve been there on similar levels…but again, in the REAL WORLD, no one farking cares. Apple’s not infallible, they make mistakes, but their products just seem to work for the vast majority, and people just don’t care. Call it selfish, but it’s true.
Personally, I use an Apple product or two because I HAVE tried, for extended periods of time, the Microsoft equivalents, and they just don’t work as well or for as long as their Apple counterparts. I won’t go back to MS products.
That’s fine…it’s your money Jason, do what you want with it. As freely as you’ve displayed your opinion and are going to exercise your principles, I will do the same and keep my Apple products and tell others about how well they could work for them…and just hope that you realize that for those in the real world who can actually afford an Apple product or two, we don’t care about this kind of stuff and will use what works best for us. Walk up to any happy iPhone or Mac user with this article & ask them if they care, and they’ll say “Uhhh, no.”
Point being: Glad you have principles. So do the rest of us. Go back to Windows and enjoy. The rest of us will do the same. I personally will not care or listen, though, to your complaints about Microsoft/Windows from this point forward, since it was your choice.
“no one farking cares about how App Store developers are treated”
“hurting the feelings of a few developers”
As a developer I care how I am treated. I invested a large amount of time learning to program applications for the iPhone.
If Apple keeps micro managing the content of the app store I will simply stop making apps. From talking with other developers I think most of them would make the same choice.
The iPhone is a cool little system. It would be a shame if developers stopped making software.
“Walk up to any happy iPhone or Mac user” and tell them that Apple pissed off all the people who make apps so they all quit. Tell the users that all the cool software will now becoming out on other phones.
It took Apple 2-3 years to get where it is with the iPhone it can lose that market just as fast.
Like I said. I do feel badly for developers who got the shaft from Apple. It’s wrong how it happened and unfortunate. I’ve been in a similar situation.
My point remains that if one were to survey the iPhone users community, I’d bet less than 10% or even 5% even care about this situation.
If developers leave in droves and take their products with them, there are other developers to take their place and replace the missing apps. It’s the nature of the beast.
I highly doubt, at least in my view, that massive amounts of users will defect to another mobile platform because one app is now not supported anymore. Again, my sympathies…but I’m just amazed at the amount of press this situation is getting and how ticked off most tech-industry insiders are at the general public because “we” don’t care. Our devices work. One or two apps that disappear / aren’t available aren’t going to force anyone to abandon ship.
I will just say this: When it finally comes around to you, and you are the one being treated like crap, and you are disappointed, angry, or even furious at whoever did this to you, I hope you do not come crying to any of us, because we do not care.
Seriously, your attitude is just like those people that did not care when the Nazis were taking the Jews away. I am not saying Apple is that bad, but just don’t expect anyone to care when your turn comes. You did not care about them and so they have no reason to care about you.
I do not use MS or Mac products, if I can at all avoid it. I do not care which product works better (although, it seems to be Mac right now), if a company chooses to act unethically, I refuse to support them (as far as I have seen, Mac has been at the top of this one too, although only barely). Both of these companies have acted and are acting unethically. When one, the other, or both does something that hurts you, do not come crying to me; just remember where they got that money they are using to hurt you.
The reason so many bad things are happening in the world right now is because people like you just don’t care. You will throw your money at whatever looks pretty, or is easiest to use, without a thought as to where that money is going. As for me, I care, and I will do my best to avoid placing money in the hands of people who are going to use it to hurt others. When my turn comes, at least I will know that it was your money and not my own that allowed them to do this to me.
Lord Rybec
Well said.
Jesus Christ, people, it is not like Apple has ever been an open company under Steve Jobs; he has always been a total, secretive control freak, against licensing the OS, opening up the hardware, etc. He could not care less about what you have to say. Old habits die hard. He is the tollbooth master, if there ever was one. Still, I love Apple and I have been a happy customer since 1982, except during those times when Steve was no longer at the helm. This is just another fanboy having a nervous breakdown and threatening to leave… he will be back soon enough.
Apple-bashing as a way of communicating that we don´t want to se a crippled mobile internet is probably not such a bad idea at all and I applaud Arrington and Calacanis for helping to get the ball rolling.
Calacanis is dead on.
Apple is now the oppressor.
Apple, WAKE UP.
big words coming from a trustfund baby.
Um…no. Apple CUSTOMERS WAKE UP. Since when has a large corporation ever woken up without the ‘help’ of its customers?
Lord Rybec
I think it’s time we should stop the non-stop banter about the Google Voice app being removed from the App Store. I did not like it and so did many other people. But, as we all can see, Apple isn’t budging. So, in a way, we are banging our heads on a wall that can only be broken by the FCC (hopefully). I am not saying that Google Voice should be in the App Store. All I want to know is the reason behind it’s removal.
In my opinion, people who hate Apple are either unaware of the latest news or lack the ability to admire creativity. When Apple launches a product in a category, it usually redefines that category (there are exceptions like Apple TV). Every month or so, Apple files for some patent. I really, really wish Microsoft could do so as well. Because, as a consumer, I want choices, more choices (but the choices should be comparable).
Oh, and this article will soon turn out to be a Mac vs PC battleground ;) I hope it better not. Leave those fights to other forums.
“I am not saying that Google Voice should be in the App Store.”
Microsoft has struggled with anti-trust for decades. Why is Apple getting a free pass?
Looks like you did not read my comment about the FCC.
That’s ridiculous, Nite. You’re not some helpless sheep. If you think Apple’s behaving badly, you can stop giving them money. Further, the FCC works for you, as does the rest of the federal government.
@ William
Did you even understand what I wrote in my comment? Because, from your reply, it seems you did not!
What part of my comment made you think I’m some helpless sheep? lol! All I said was that people who are ‘crying out loud’ for Google Voice app should stop doing that. I never said I am crying out loud too! Heck, I don’t even care about Google Voice. And the only reason I’m interested in knowing why Apple rejected Google Voice app is because of the attention this news is garnering.
Also, what part of my comment made you think that I am unaware of what the FCC is supposed to do and for whom?
Please William, ‘read’ the comments, not skim. Then reply!
The main reasons I use Apple are the following: BSD/gnu core, Alt-Tab, Alt-~, F9, F10, Cocoa, Excellent user interface paradigm, ~/Library/KeyBindings/DefaultKeyBinding.dict, excellent labeling and searching, ease of common functions
That’s as good as linux and more, and I don’t rely on Microsoft products in any way. So MacBook Pro is a no-brainer.
I’m a Windows then Mac then Windows then Mac then Windows again user.
I’m a graphic designer by profession, so I have to use Macs regularly.
However, I’ve tried being a Mac-only user twice and both times the results were disappointing, frustrating and expensive.
In my opinion Apple went downhill after they started focusing on OS X and iPod where they stopped being about making a unique, superior OS and more about new computer/device models annually and costly upgrades (and poor backwards compatibility/legacy support).
My last Mac was an iBook in ‘04 and I’m okay with that. XP has served me well and Vista has been very nice since late 2007.
Two words: Mac clone.
Nothing much has changed in the past 20 years.
Why are people so upset that Apple wants to retain control of it’s little piece of the pie?
They don’t have control of the PC market, OS market or cell phone market. The closest they come to market control is the portable music device market. But only because their competitors are inept.
And screw Palm. Their execs left Apple, now they have no claim to iTunes.
Do we really think Apple spent millions in 1984 to run an ad one time just to set us all free?
You ask: “Why are people so upset that Apple wants to retain control of it’s little piece of the pie?”
Because they are the pie.
No, Apple is not the pie. They have less than 10% of PC or cellphone market. The reason Microsoft was confronted on influencing choice is because they already had >85% of the PC market. There is a huge difference.
This may be true, but if one company is not allowed to influence choice in a specific way, no other company should be allowed that privilege, regardless of its size or market share.
If a company is participating in monopolistic behavior, it should be stopped, regardless of whether it is actually a monopoly at the current time. Should we allow companies to act in a certain only until they control the market, then stop them, or should the behavior be stopped before the damage is done? Is America a country where everyone is treated fairly, or is it just a country where only the rich receive justice while the less rich get off without even a smack on the hand?
A huge difference? No, the only difference is the market share. That is not only not a huge difference, but it is barely a difference at all.
Lord Rybec
I don’t understand this debate. Apple does very good products, so did Microsoft (and will?), so does Google.
If you don’t like one, you switch to the other why all the fuss about Steve Jobs this and that.
I don’t believe it! US is a capitalistic place and free market place, this means you are free to choose another product if you don’t like one. Apple is not a communist state: you can move away from them if you don’t like.
Why such a fuss?
I’ve been saying this for quite some time now.
Wow, more bandwagon jumping..
Does it really matter what the attention-loving, PR-whore Jason Calacanis says?
Maybe tomorrow you can post one about how another irrelevant person says they don’t like Apple either with no new content.
RE: “we are no longer allowed to use iPhones”?
Any particular reasons why employees cant use iPhones? Or is it because Mr. Arrington decided he doesn’t like it anymore so noone else in the company can have it?
Just because you declare someone irrelevant because he hurt your feelings doesn’t make it so. I find Calcanis to be insightful and entertaining and enjoy listening to him when he’s a guest on This Week in Tech.
Calacanis, when (no…IF) you produce something as remotely as awesome as any of the apple products maybe you can rant about how evil SJ is, until then stfu.
who the fuck is this guy and why do i give a rats ass what he thinks?
Who gives a fuck of Jason opinion?! I mean this blog is getting ridiculous.
Would you have even commented if you truly did not care about his opinion? Getting angry enough to start swearing does not say you don’t care.
he is depressed Mahalo is a pos.
“We at TechCrunch are required to follow the company line. For example, we are no longer allowed to use iPhones or shake hands with people or accept embargoes and we are prohibited from wearing red while blogging (long story)”
Ahahahah what a bunch of moron! Okay i’m quitting CrunchGear and TechCrunch from my bookmarks. And i hope others to the same because this blog is far from good.
I find this interesting and yet annoying. Few days back, Michael Arrington decided to stop using iPhone. Now, Jason Calacanis is thinking about quitting Apple.
My question is: Do we really need to know all that? I don’t care what phone Michael Arrington uses or which bandwagon is Jason Calacanis on. It simply doesn’t matter to me. Personal opinions should not be posted on blogs usually meant for news/reviews. Put your personal views/opinions on some other blog. This, according to me, is literally ’selling yourself’ on the internet just to get some internet traffic. Come on Michael, I hope you’re better than this! Let TechCrunch be ‘Tech’Crunch and not ‘PersonalOpinion’Crunch.
By the way, Jason Calacanis, if you’re reading this, Mahalo sucks big time.
Pretty much from day 1, TechCrunch has mixed news with expert opinion. Reasonable people can differ on whether or not that’s a good idea, but it’s definitely part of what has made them a big success.
You shouldn’t hold your breath waiting for them to change, especially if your major tactic is being anonymously grumpy in the comments.
haha. You again!
I am just grumpy because I do not like the idea people posting their personal opinions on supposedly ‘non-personal’ blogs.
Also, you shouldn’t start making assumptions about what people after reading just 1-2 comments. Makes you look immature.
You are an idiot.
I just did the same about two weeks ago, left all Apple products.
I have bought 9 iPhones, two 3GS iPhones just recently, and a bunch of macs.
The iPhone is for old people and grandparents, fisher-price easy with ONE button. Windows mobile has allowed me to skype since like 2004 over 3G, iPhone doesn’t.
Macs all 7 of them can’t be enough models to fit the billions of people in this world. Like the Microsoft commercials, if you want a cheap 17in laptop, your out of Mac luck! Blue-ray, not the Apple way.
I will use my macs till the are replaced, but from now on will just use OS X on PC laptops/desktops or just use Windows.
Think of all the computers than run Windows, traffic lights, airport terminals, ATM’s, places Apple will never allow their Macs to work run on.
Apple is too controlling, Apple ceased being cool after the iPhone sent the industry to the dark ages with software restrictions.
Shop in iTunes, Buy Amazon.
when you run a bussines.. and at this case.. THIS bussines.. you have to do, what you have to do..
Apple was always the anti-MS.. right ?
the bottom line is tough that they are bussinesmen and all the care most about is profits..
Apple, rolls its dice… lets see what happens next.. time will tell…
people forget too easly these days, that’s for sure!
Calcanis is out to lunch, and Techcrunch is fading quickly. Apple now has an amazing product suite, and is killing it in every dimension. The 3GS phone is phenomenal. Video quality is excellent. Apple stock is back close to all time highs.
Seriously, who cares about Mahalo? Or Google Voice? Or even techcrunch for that matter? Mashable has now past techcrunch in traffic.
I guess it bothers you that Arrington & Calacanis are correct.
Tablets w/ Google Chrome OS and more Android phones hitting the market can’t happen soon enough. People who don’t want to be locked into proprietary-big-nanny-BS continue to wait.
Who the fuck is Jason Calcanis? I couldn’t care less what the hell that dweeb has to say about anything. This blog is becoming a damn gossip site rather than tech news.
Calling Apple a monopoly (a la MS) is downright ridiculous. Less than 10% share of computers. Less than 1% of phones. End of story. There is simply no comparison.
I do not recall this article calling Mac a monopoly. It is true, however, that Mac is exhibiting monopolistic behavior. Monopolistic actions are monopolistic regardless of market share, and are also illegal, regardless of market share.
Lord Rybec
1 comment to the little people:
Are you contaminating tech blogs threads with anonymous offensive comments against Calacanis/other entrepreneurs? If so, please allow me to assume the following:
1. You are a bad employee / consultant.
2. You will never build a great company.
3. Most of your friends hate you.
4. You don’t know where Rwanda or Darfur is.
5. You don’t care.
6. VCs spend hours saying “no” to people like you.
7. “You know you really need some help. A regular psychiatrist couldn’t even help you. You need to go to like Vienna or something. You know what I mean? You need to get involved at the University level. Like where Freud studied and have all those people looking at you and checking up on you. That’s the kind of help you need. Not the once a week for eighty bucks. No. You need a team. A team of psychiatrists working round the clock thinking about you, having conferences, observing you, like the way they did with the Elephant Man. That’s what I’m talking about because that’s the only way you’re going to get better. ”
I’m not a friend of Calacanis or in any way associated with him, but been an entrepreneur AND transparent AND honest is a rare combination that should be celebrated rather than be a reason for hatred – especially if one means well (which I believe he is).
Guy,
Please do not tell the trolls and haters to change their behavior.
The unmoderated commentscum ponds are the last safe place for anonymous hatred to express itself. We can’t take it away from the 12-15 year olds (and 34-47 year olds) smoking weed in their mom’s basement between playing Call of Duty and watching Family Guy reruns.
Spewing hatred without putting your name on it is the right of every loser who couldn’t get a date for the prom or got picked last for dodgeball.
all the best,
Jason
but can’t we like Jason AND play Call of Duty AND smoke weed AND watch family guy reruns?
Chuckle out loud.
If you wanted a cookie, you could have just asked! ;)
Nobody cares. Short for material I take it?
Ah got it…
Maybe TC is pissed off that their Tablet will look 10 years older than Apple’s?
A lot of people care.
Educated guess: you’re an Apple supporters and apologist who feels his entire identity is attacked when someone presents clear and obvious reasons to seek out non-Apple products.
If you don’t like it, move on.
For instance, I find Paul Carr’s articles nearly 100% pointless so far and wonder when, if ever, he’ll write about an actual TC-related subject as opposed to some pseudo-intellectual introspective on so-called “journalism.” I’m still giving him the benefit of the doubt and recognize that some people appreciate his writing. So don’t cry about it. Just bypass it if it bothers you.
^ in reply to @Davin Greenwell
It appears that some of Apple’s “church members” arrived at the blog today.. –bashing Apple… that should be considered a crime shouldnt it?? Shame on Jason and Michael…!!
No, unlike some dumbass people that accept every little thing Apple execs come up with… whether it contradicts what they said before…(maybe the memory span of apple community is short) … who don’t remember Steve Jobs SERMON on how music should be open when he launched the Itunes…. …. now many years later we see he is not sticking to what he said at all.. .. try to get your other-than- -Ipod MP3 player to work with Itunes and you will see what i mean.
No, on the contrary i will salute Jason Calacanis and MIchael Arrington for addressing the arrogance, stupidity and neglect for customer friendliness that has been rampant at Apple lately.
I wonder why users become so religious about Apple after using one or two of Apple products?
Because they are designed intelligently and work.
Mark,
Have you ever tried to sync AppleTV? Scheesh it’s horrendous! LOL
Apple fans are creationists?
Once again, kids with no real business experience get school yard morality mixed up with commerce. Apple has every right to screw with pre. There is a legal way to use the xml files that iTunes generates, if they’re too inept to do so why should Apple let them ride the coat tales?
Apple had to chose a cell vendor that was willing to alter their service to accommodate the visual voice mail. They are in a partnership with ATT for that reason and it maybe (probably) is that partnership that dictates whether or not the Google app gets in.
I use iTunes but I never use the store. I’m not locked into anything, and when you school boys whine about their “monopolistic” practices, you need to study up on what constitutes a monopoly. Apple isn’t getting a free ride, they aren’t a monopoly.
You have lots of choices, use them and STFU.
I subscribe to all my podcasts via iTunes store. I also have got a lot of free songs and videos through the store. I used to buy a lot of videos but switched to Amazon due to pricing and customer service. Now I get all my video through Netflix or Hulu. So Apple lost over $1000 a year revenue stream due to bad customer service and over pricing. Just another anecdote for the mill.
Again, monopolistic practices are not the same as being a monopoly. Monopolistic practices are unethical and for the most part illegal, regardless of whether a monopoly actually exists.
While you are correct that Apple is not a monopoly, that does not automatically mean that they are not participating in monopolistic practices.
Seems to me you need to be the one reading up on your definitions.
Lord Rybec
Sorry, but how can a tech journalist write sentence like:
“However, Michael – and his little pal Jason – can pry my 10-inch MacTablet out of my cold, dead hands when/if it ever appears. Which it will. Because Jobs loves us and is good.”
Surely this is merely Jason’s Doctorow moment. Even after he got exactly what he demanded (DRM-free music), he still defected, then complained he couldn’t edit a PDF on his Linux laptop (also impossible on a MacBook).
If it takes you a week to install windows I think you might be in the wrong business…
As a reader, these conversations on the devolving of Apple have become tiresome. Yet, they are necessary.
People may criticize Calcanis for jumping on some bandwagon, but if it weren’t for the public outcry from more prominent voices in the tech arena such as his, Apple’s recent shift in behavior would very likely continue downhill. An actor before a silent audience will never grasp the blunders in his performance. The cheers and jeers are essential for Jobs to correct his performance.
Picture it from inside the walls of Apple HQ. It’s got to be downright exhausting to process the negative press that pours in. They need to (and will) do something about it. While Jobs has a vision and is steadfast in delivering it, he’s also incredibly intelligent and has ears. He is listening.
Thanks to Calcanis and anyone out there who takes the time to express discontent rather than allowing the corporate machine to continue rolling over our foot.
For those that would just as well laze around in apathy and let Apple boot developers out of the app store, Nero is over in the corner and he’s playing a catchy tune on his fiddle.
I agree 100%.
TY Jason.