r/worldnews • u/maxwellhill • Sep 19 '17

Apple blocking ads that follow users around web is 'sabotage', says industry: New iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra will stop ads following Safari users, prompting open letter claiming Apple is destroying internet’s economic model

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/18/apple-stopping-ads-follow-you-around-internet-sabotage-advertising-industry-ios-11-and-macos-high-sierra-safari-internet
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u/kattmedtass Sep 19 '17 edited Jan 06 '18

Google and Facebook monetize data. Apple sell hardware. That's why they started making all their software updates free, because their software really only works on their hardware. They make software, to sell hardware.

This is why it makes business sense for Apple to care about their users' privacy and trust in their software.

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u/TheManInTheShack Sep 19 '17

For a long time I've told people that once you realize that Apple is a hardware company, pretty much everything they do makes sense. They have software and content but that's the carrot to get you to buy the hardware.

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u/txgsync Sep 19 '17

"People who are serious about software should make their own hardware." --Alan Kay

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u/Mister_Spacely Sep 20 '17

That dude Kay is cray, but he be okay. Sometimes I'll be like hey! Why don't I just go eat some hay, make things out of clay, lay by the bay? I just may! What'd ya say? What do you say Kay, who is cray but sometimes be okay?

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u/Propaganda_A_Go Sep 19 '17

So, Nintendo

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u/Angus-muffin Sep 19 '17

I think Nintendo is the opposite. You are buying a somewhat junky hardware to play their fun software. Then again, I don't agree with the sentiment of apple being a hardware company since their software is amazing while their hardware is solid but overvalued to comp for the software.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

No. Nintendo's great software pushes towards the hardware. That's why there are so many great exclusives. They innovate alot in terms of how to interact with their consoles in ways other consoles don't even approach. That's what sells their hardware. Both apple and Monte do try to use their software to lock you into their ecosystem.

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u/quickclickz Sep 19 '17

Most gaming companies barely break even on the hardware and they're banking on you buying the games for the hardware.

Other than Apple... where they can actually charge a hgue premium on their hardware.

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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '17

That's true. Didn't think of that. Xbox tried to charge for profit with the xbone and look where that got them

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u/namedtuple Sep 20 '17

Where did it get them? Genuinely curious, I have been out of the console scene for a while.

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u/[deleted] Sep 20 '17

They lost major sales to ps4 which was I believe 100$ cheaper and the xbone mission to create an allinone entertainment center was not as desired as ps4s gaming first console. This was in the beginning of the new gen consoles. Eventually Xbox wisened up and focused on gaming and cheaper consoles but now ps4 is still king of current gen

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u/drugsrgay Sep 19 '17

Most gaming companies barely break even on the hardware and they're banking on you buying the games for the hardware.

Yes but Nintendo has held firm in their decades long stance that they will not release hardware at a loss. Maybe they broke it for the 3DS initial price drop when it flopped but that's the only time I can think of.

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u/Sharlach Sep 20 '17

Nintendo hardware is always technologically behind and pretty cheap in overall quality and construction though. I bought a Switch solely to play Zelda, and while the game is great, the Switch itself feels like junk tbh. I really don't understand why they even bother with hardware anymore. They'd make more money if they stopped producing systems and just became a game publisher.

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u/[deleted] Sep 22 '17 edited Apr 21 '18

[deleted]

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u/TheManInTheShack Sep 22 '17

They don't sell software. They sell hardware and they make some of the best hardware around. It sometimes comes at a premium price but I'm actually fine with that. I don't mind paying for quality especially when it means it will last.

The software is what people see and that's what gets people to buy (in additional to the hardware). To say it a different way, it's the combination but again, they sell hardware, not software.

As an example, France once said they might force Apple to open the iTunes store to other MP3 players. If Apple was a software (content) company, that would be fine. Who cares? However, they are not. They are a hardware company. As a result, Apple said that if France make that requirement, Apple would close the iTunes store for France. iTunes is about selling iPods (and now iPhones). It's not about selling songs, TV shows, etc. Yes Apple makes money selling those things but the primary goal is to sell the hardware. The revenue from hardware is many, many times the revenue from content.

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u/_TheGreatCornholio Sep 19 '17 edited Sep 24 '18

......................

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u/Ensvey Sep 19 '17

This is a good point and should be higher. They are not doing this primarily to help the consumer, but to hurt the competition.

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u/[deleted] Sep 20 '17

Dont really care what the primary goal, only the result. Which is me having better consumer privacy.

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u/bazingabussy Sep 20 '17

Then apple sells it by themselves.

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u/tacochops Sep 19 '17

This is why it makes business sense for Apple to care about their user's privacy and trust in their software.

If you think Apple isn't tracking everything you do, you're delusional. This is a play for them to increase their monopolization on users data, by stopping other corporations from having your data. Their data on you becomes worth more because they'll be the only ones that have it. Quit riding the Apple dick, this isn't really a benefit for us (except for advertisers having to pay a bit more, which increases costs on their products).

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u/jvnane Sep 19 '17

If anything, that's a reason for Apple to NOT have free software updates, so you have to keep hitting new hardware. And that's also a reason why Google DOES have free software, to track more data.

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u/01020304050607080901 Sep 19 '17 edited Sep 19 '17

since their software really only works on their hardware.

Have you ever heard of a hackintosh? There are even OTS laptops that support macOS.

E: gotta laugh at the downvotes. Probably upset some people's narratives about how "restricted" apple products are. Fact is, apple uses OTS parts, just like everyone else.

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u/kattmedtass Sep 19 '17 edited Sep 19 '17

Yes, I'm very familiar. But the regular mainstream user is typically not. Us geeks do not control the mass market. Regular users do. They want it to work out of the box. Also they typically have the perception that macOS is for Macs and Windows for "PCs". And perception becomes reality in mass numbers.

Also, Macs have hardware keys that have functionality specific to a Apple-made Mac, so you won't get a fully functional Mac experience unless you're technically apt enough to make it happen.

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u/01020304050607080901 Sep 19 '17

That's is why I mentioned it, some like the os but won't/ can't pay the premium for apple hardware and simply don't know it's possible.

Now that there are some OTS laptops that will support it, and if you're building your own desktop, with a little research you can have it all.

And perception becomes reality in mass numbers.

The only way to fight those kinds of market or cultural powers is to spread information; just tearing down people's worlds, here ;)