I Saw The Coolest Thing Today

Before the iPhone came out, I wrote a piece saying that the only way to send a message to Apple that you wanted an open phone with third-party application support was not to buy one. Then, a day after the iPhone was released, I bought one. (And then donated some cash to the EFF out of guilt.)

I still really like the iPhone. I still genuinely think we have a right, perhaps not just as customers, but as members of a society that has chosen to recognize the ownership of material goods, to expect to be able to do what we want with hardware we own (while not expecting the support of companies that may not share the same principles). But Mark Pilgrim, writing about Apple, the iPhone, and the relationship Apple has with its customers, makes some very noteworthy points:

My current theory is that it’s some twisted form of wish fulfillment. “I wish this company understood the value of openness, but they don’t, so I’m going to keep buying their closed, crippled shit until they get it.” Yeah, let me know how that works out for you. And while you were waiting breathlessly for them to “get it,” Apple locked out third-party videos. And third-party hardware. And third-party ringtones, applications, and carriers. ProsperityOpenness is just around the corner!

Apple apologists often chide critics by reminding that “Apple is a business.” Fair enough. But it’s also important to realize that “Apple is a business” might not be the excuse for the problem, but the root of the problem itself.

You can publicly shame a successful company into making small concessions, but on the whole it’s money that speaks the loudest. At the end of the day, the general public has a lot more market influence than we nerds. Maybe it’s more productive to put all the effort expending to keeping Apple in check towards creating competitive solutions that address our smaller market’s needs.*

If Wishes Were iPhones [DiveIntoMark.org via Daring Fireball]

Bonus Link: The iPhone Freedom Fighters [Slate]

* Yes, I think it’s weird that I just grew a two-foot beard, too.

(via NOGG3R5’s shared items in Google Reader)