[mikhailt]

Nothing is for free.

Email is open standard, so it is designed to be interoperable from the start but services offering emails are not free by default. They're free up to a certain point, each email service has restrictions such as certain amount of email per day or size restrictions, or they offer ads (take a look at Outlook for an example).

Back then, Internet was free too, via NetZero with ads.

You get what you pay for.

In this case, Apple customers paid for Messages by buying their devices and/or iCloud plans.

I would prefer Apple to open up and offer Messages for Android/Windows/Linux and the only way to use them is via paid iCloud plans.

[throwup238]

> In this case, Apple customers paid for Messages by buying their devices and/or iCloud plans.

I have an active iCloud subscription and I've spent at least ten grand on Apple products over the years. Why can't I see and send iMessages on my other devices?

[mikhailt]

Because there's no iMessage client for these devices, just as there is no iMessages for Windows or Linux either.

As long as iMessage is not an open standard, your access to your Messages is restricted to the platforms that Apple owns and/or have an app for.

As for iCloud plans, I was referring to the storage for Messages, as you need paid plans to host more than 5gb of content of messages such as all of the photos and videos and so on.

[throwup238]

Right because their anti-competitive practices prevent me from using the services I pay for the way I want to.

[throw0101b]

> Right because their anti-competitive practices prevent me from using the services I pay for the way I want to.

All services you use are subject to terms and conditions: Gmail, Netflix, watching a sports match at your local stadium. Read them before partaking instead of assuming you're entitled to everything just because you cut a cheque.

[throwup238]

Rarely enforceable contracts of adhesion.

[greggsy]

Even SMS is a paid service in many markets. Very expensive too, when you consider the price per byte.

[mikhailt]

Interesting, I didn't know that. Thanks for bringing that up.

[chongli]

It’s really a paid service in all markets. You can’t send SMS for free in any country. You need to at least be a subscriber to a cell network or some SMS only service. Whether individual providers decide to offer unlimited flat rate SMS or not is a pricing decision, but none of them offer free messaging to none-subscribers.

[mikhailt]

There are US services like Google's Voice, TextFree and TextPlus that has unlimited text messages, I used to use it before with friends without having cell networks for a few years.