[LINK] Apple is turning into the evil empire

[Antony Barry]

On 09/03/2011, at 3:07 PM, Dr Bob Jansen wrote:

> 1. I would argue that most consumers do know what they are buying in to. 
> When they buy a fridge they want something that keeps the contents cold. 
> When they buy a TV they want something that lets them watch TV channels, 
> they don't care whether it is IP TV or  wireless TV, just let me watch 
> the show I want when it is on. As for computers, most consumers I know 
> just want it to do certain things, like web, email and word processing. 
> They understand, as far as their knowledge lets them, what they are 
> buying in to. If it works for them at a price they can afford then 
> that's all they want.


Same with cars. My first car was a second hand FJ Holden in 1963. I could lift up the bonnet and and know what all the bits were and could to some extent maintain it. Now I look under the bonnet of my present car and wonder what most of the stuff is.

Radios were based on single component valve technology. My grandmothers radio broke when I was 19. I had a look. No hum from the speaker so probably power supply. Yep no glow from the filament of the diode so I replaced it. Radio fixed. I was God. If a radio breaks now there is no point in looking at its innards it is just full of "stuff".

I used to maintain my push bike. You could see how it worked. I now have a folding bike with a hybrid gear system - three speed internal hub on the rear wheel with a 9 cog derallieur and extremely cunning controls linked to them. There is a manual with lots of pages in small print with lots of diagrams. The specialist  dealer I bought it from said if I had to take it to a regular bike shop and they had problems get them to phone him.

And while I'm grumbling I had an electric jug for years and every now and then the filament would burn out and I'd replace it. Now when a jug dies you throw it out.

Grumble, grumble, grumble.

Tony

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