Apple's User Control Device

[ajbrehm]

A boycott of any length would be useless. You have to realize that the vast, vast majority of people are in your second group. They just don't care about such things.

A boycott would be difficult but not useless.

People in the second group might still have an interest in a world where not everything is controlled by a few. One can hope.

Even if everyone who wanted to be able to install arbitrary code refused to buy the iPad it would put sales off by, what, maybe 5 or 10%... less likely. It's a useless gesture, imo. The most effective thing to do would be create apps which Apple refuses to put into the App Store and then get as much press for that as possible, and maybe try to turn some of your group 2 users to group 1 users.

That's one way. But then Apple usually have a reason for not allowing the app. The bad press for the process has certainly hurt Apple.

But remember that the original iPhone cost 200 dollars less just a few weeks after it was released. Apple even had to give in and give 100 dollar vouchers to those who bought it at the higher price.

Sales were high all the time but the bad press Apple got made them cave. And the same could happen here.

If enough people announce that they won't by the iPad because of the restrictions, the number of sales won't have as much of an impact as the bad press.

Dell is the company that sells a lot. Apple is the company that has good press. Dell can only be beaten with a working boycott. But Apple can be beaten with a demonstrative boycott.

 

[ajbrehm]

My point was simply that I think the average person isn't going to consider the iPad to be a "computer" as much as they'd consider it to be a "device". And the market is full of successful locked-down/controlled "devices", so yes, I'd say that people are "actually willing" to buy the iPad in its current condition. That's all.

You think I called for a boycott because I believed that nobody was willing to buy the iPad in its current condition?