Boycott iTunes and Show Apple We Still Have a Choice
I don’t usually succumb to posting rants, but Apple’s recent actions are beginning to make me question my long-standing loyalty to the company. Bricking the iPhone is only the latest in a string of ill-advised corporate decisions and a New York woman’s $1 million dollar suit against Apple and AT&T over the iPhone price cut may be only the first of several brewing lawsuits. But I’m not the litigious type. I’d rather show Apple that even the most faithful Apple fanatics will exercise their freedom in the marketplace if Jobs & Company continue to treat us the way Microsoft treats their customers. That’s why I’m boycotting iTunes—and asking you to join me (and spread the word)—until Apple opens the iPhone to third-party applications, including those that allow you to install your own ringtones.
Why am I so pissed? No less than Christopher Breen of Macworld in his opinion piece, Is Apple on the wrong path?, has added his voice to a growing number of rants against Apple, including this video on YouTube (via Sproutly), which offers the most compelling argument I’ve heard for why Apple should at the very least open the iPhone to third-party applications:
I agree with almost everything Breen writes, with the exception of his ding against the new ultra-thin keyboard (I just bought a new iMac and, while the keyboard takes some getting used to, I’ve come to love it). But what pushed me over the edge was the latest iPhone update. My phone wasn’t bricked, but it deleted all of the third-party software I’d installed with AppTapp. My Flickr upload and voice memos—gone! And for what? So I could shop the iTunes store wirelessly? Forget it!
Apple and third-party developers shouldn’t have to play a game of cat and mouse, and the argument that third-party iPhone applications interfere with Apple’s ability to provide service and support seems spurious at best—last time I checked I had dozens of third-party apps on my iMac and that hasn’t stopped Apple from supporting their computers.
No, Apple’s latest decisions seem to foreshadow an ominous trend toward control and greed. The iPhone is locked because Apple shares revenues with AT&T. Fine. It’s a business. But it’s not against the law to unlock a phone. And having to pay to make a song you’ve purchased into a ringtone seems like double-dipping to me. But I’ll stop. Breen says it better than I can.
If Apple becomes another Microsoft, I’ll become a luddite. Before you know it, they’ll be adding activation to the OS. In fact, they’re beginning to remind me of the RIAA. So, no more iTunes. I’ll be buying my tunes from Amazon.
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RobertRobert Ellis was the founder of Upstart Blogger. He now blogs (and continues to design themes) at Futurosity.
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i´m on your site. didn´t update from oldscholl-itunes which got all functions i need… no store, no nothing … and especially no iphone, imac or iwhatever
Robert,
I am from Italy. We had a telecom carrier that locked their mobile phones. No other sim card allowed. A lot of “hackers” opened the lock. (500.000 phones unlocked in one year).
After years of lawsiut our Court said that is in the custormers’ rights to decide which kind of sim card (and carrier) will be used in the mobile phone. All the locks are limitation of the “comprehensive and exclusive use of the purchased goods”. All the telecommunications carriers are compelled to un-locked their phones after 18 months for free and after 9 month paying a little fee.
On this notion, the Court said that is NOT a crime to unlock devices (phones, PC and Playstations).
Probably this is one of the problems ’cause the iPhone is not yet ready to buy in our country. (Yes, of course there are other reasons and we have also problems with the EDGE net and probably we will wait the 3G version).
Sorry for my bad English, expecially writing on a so ticklish argument.
Tiziano
@Tiziano: Thanks for your comment. I think the cell phone industry should be more open in general. It took a long time before we could keep our phone numbers when changing carriers. I think all phones should be open, but I accepted that the iPhone would be locked to AT&T when I bought it and I understand the business case for it (Apple shares in the revenue). But I can’t think of a legitimate reason to prevent third-party apps. I have to think it would be better by far for Apple to open up and encourage third-party development for the iPhone, which can only make it more attractive in the marketplace.
I’ve calmed down considerably since writing this post and I hold out hope that Apple will open the iPhone in the future. In the meantime, I do think twice before mindlessly giving Apple my money and I won’t be buying anything from iTunes anytime soon.
I agree with most of this. I think apple has gone to far with a lot of the things they are doing. I am actually rooting for google to take the lead in all of this. They so far have the right attitude and are always developing things to make them easier and better.
End the monopoly!
We itunes customers are honest people willing to PAY for licences, music, movies etc.
And they are making it harder and harder for us to do so!
I am now considering going off-market for my music an other things because itunes is becoming so impossible.
The technology is there, global users are there; but by wanting to protect themselves they are going to kill themselves.
I paid for my music, why can’t I (a) take it with me out of the country on a vacation?? (b) use a piece of it as a ringtone for my phone? (c) listen to it in my home on a device other than an Apple device?
If the world applied Apple philosophy, there would be no need for any luggage on international flights. All your clothes, cosmetics, books, belongings would be confiscated at the border – hey, you bought those Levis in the US, you’re not allowed to use them in Europe!!!
Totally fed up and looking for new solutions.
Yes Agree totally. I saved £2 by getting my tracks on Amazon instead of itunes. Which means I can get around 4 more songs with the money I saved.
Amazon even had some hit new releases for just 29p!
If only itunes stopped being so greedy and people stopped using them…