[amelius]

> The issue is that Epic doesn’t want to be Apple’s customer in the first place. They want to publish iOS apps. The fact that this requires them to be an Apple customer is the core problem.

Indeed. It all boils down to: if I buy a product from company A, then want to use that product to do business with company B, why does company A have anything to say about it? Am I not the owner of my device?

[daemin]

Increasingly in this modern world, no, you are not the owner of the device. You're more like purchasing the right to use it for a time, in the way that the makers want you to use it. This applies across PCs, Macs, and Phones where Microsoft, Apple, and Google all try to up-sell you on their online services and now their "AI tools".

[the8472]

You're conflating the operating system with the hardware there. My PCs are not beholden to any of those companies

[Zuiii]

Hopefully changing laws will cure companies from this delusional take. Most reasonable people don't think this way.

[chii]

> Hopefully changing law

the problem with having consumers take action is that they are completely shortsighted and will take the path of least resistence - a path that the companies will have charted out to make this transition as smooth and painless _for the consumer_ as possible while retaining as much monopolistic power as possible.

There needs to be public institutions with the backing of the state to enforce property rights, including purchased devices.

[jamwil]

To offer a modest counterweight here, every iPhone owner bought the product knowing damn well that Apple keeps the OS locked down. If you don’t want that, don’t buy an iPhone. There’s no confusion about what the product is and what you can do with it.

[TheLoafOfBread]

> every iPhone owner bought the product knowing damn well that Apple keeps the OS locked down

No, average owner has no idea. But they will be relentlessly asking why your application is not supporting iOS

[jamwil]

Average owner with no idea is the exact person who benefits most from a locked down OS.

The rest of us are free to choose something else.

[TheLoafOfBread]

So how is a 3rd party going to give support to a customer with iPhone, if Apple will ban such 3rd party for whatever reason?

Let's say that given 3rd party is making a device, which can be controlled via Bluetooth from Windows, Android, MacOS and iOS. They don't make any money on any applications, but from the device.

[_chu1]

If you buy technology that treats you like a product and has a rape mentality because it's popular and easy, you don't deserve technology.

[jamwil]

Enjoy your android phone then I guess? Because Google definitely doesn’t treat its users like a product. Oh wait, that’s their entire business model.

[_chu1]

I use a Pixel 5a with CalyxOS and do not have a Google account.

[thewileyone]

You buy a car but now you move your TV in it. The car manufacturer prohibits you because you didn't buy their truck and sues you for it. This cannot be allowed to become the norm.

[refulgentis]

Had me until 'AI tools'