/rambling_rant
The incredible and astute Cory Doctorow coined the word enshtiffication (******tification: The 2023 Digital Word of the Year), mostly to describe how online communities would be destroyed by predatory business models (e.g. MySpace, Twitter). There's a great article in the FT for those who have a subscription ('******tification' is coming for absolutely everything) and a free one in El Reg here (Cory Doctorow has a plan to wipe away the ******tification of tech).
The problem has spread far beyond social media; as much as twitter was fun for a bit I don't see as the end of the world. It now encompasses most of modern capitalism. And one of the biggest drivers was the DMCA and advent of DRM. Social media uses network effects to keep people on a crap platform: if all your friends are there, you can't move until everyone moves. DRM can lock you into a much larger ecosystem, with significant sunk costs.
I first moved to Apple at the turn of the century (god that makes me feel old). The Microsoft ecosystem was a terrible, insecure, buggy mess. Microsoft's stranglehold on office apps made it hard to use anything else at the end of the nineties, Linux really wasn't slick enough for more than tinkerers. MaxOS X was a breath of fresh air; built on an open foundation, but with a slick and well performing UI. And for my hobby, making music, the Mac was an ideal platform (starting with dual booting into OS9, but before long X had everything I needed running locally).
The advent of the iPhone was another revolution, although one I was late to adopt (it was only when my Nokia E63 died did I switch). Shortly after I got an iPad.
At this point I was firmly set in the Apple ecosystem. The convenience of all devices (for the most part) seamlessly talking to each other, sharing content is really useful. I also started to use the iTunes Store for content. I prefer to "own" the content I consume, and being able to avoid stacks of vinyl, CDs and DVDs cluttering up my house was a huge advantage (I also used other stored such as Beatport and Boomkat for music, which generally had more of the niche music I listened to). I was slow switch to subscription based streaming, and instead would buy the odd series on discount I wanted to watch if it wasn't available on the BBC's iPlayer. Fast forward fifteen years and I've accumulated a lot of digital stuff. And here's where the rot starts to set in.
Apple's customer service on the App Store is definitely worse than before. Ask for a refund if there's been a problem or mistake and there's no longer a human on the end to help: money down the drain. The lack of explanation leads to a hugely frustrating customer experience.
The apps for music and TV are now predominantly skewed towards watching subscription services. Own your own content and you get a crap, clunky UX (never mind whether it was purchased through Apple's own store or not). Even on the Mac itself it's getting harder and harder to use apps not distributed through the App Store. You still cannot add an MP3 to the iPhone's library from the iOS filesystem, you still need to go via iTunes (the iPod was introduced in 2001, more than twenty years ago).
Furthermore, Apple appears to have learnt nothing from Microsoft's anticompetitive behaviour in the 90s, and the regulator responses. Their anti-developer behaviour is getting worse and worse (see the new "terms" to comply with the DMA in the EU). Interestingly all of our junior developers (at the place I work) now avoid Apple on a personal level, preferring Linux and Android. This is a significant shift from just five years ago.
Don't get me wrong, there's still a lot that's good about Apple, but it's no longer great. The hardware is mostly superb, the software is not and the service is crap. Another example, where I work we get our staff maxed out MacBook Pros with Apple Care - the charging cables break and the only way to get a replacement is to book in at a Genius Bar. We're not huge spenders as the company is still quite small, but that level of dismissive service really makes me want to find an alternative supplier.
What do people do to avoid vendor lock-in with digital platforms?
Are there digital media players available for the Apple Ecosystem that provide a decent user experience for all DRM free content? Is there software from an alternative provider that lets you view downloaded video content from Apple?
What is the state of desktop linux and open source mobile operating systems (e.g. stripped back Android), that give a good experience for light home usage?
Has anyone tried alternative computer, tablet and phone suppliers recently? Are they just as ******tified?
In the meantime I've lost patience for my personal use. Today I removed the payment option from my Apple ID and cancelled all recurring subscriptions going through my account. It costs a ton more to buy through Apple, that extra is only worthwhile if they're able to provide some level of customer service. I'll keep using the hardware, since I don't yet see a viable alternative.
The incredible and astute Cory Doctorow coined the word enshtiffication (******tification: The 2023 Digital Word of the Year), mostly to describe how online communities would be destroyed by predatory business models (e.g. MySpace, Twitter). There's a great article in the FT for those who have a subscription ('******tification' is coming for absolutely everything) and a free one in El Reg here (Cory Doctorow has a plan to wipe away the ******tification of tech).
The problem has spread far beyond social media; as much as twitter was fun for a bit I don't see as the end of the world. It now encompasses most of modern capitalism. And one of the biggest drivers was the DMCA and advent of DRM. Social media uses network effects to keep people on a crap platform: if all your friends are there, you can't move until everyone moves. DRM can lock you into a much larger ecosystem, with significant sunk costs.
I first moved to Apple at the turn of the century (god that makes me feel old). The Microsoft ecosystem was a terrible, insecure, buggy mess. Microsoft's stranglehold on office apps made it hard to use anything else at the end of the nineties, Linux really wasn't slick enough for more than tinkerers. MaxOS X was a breath of fresh air; built on an open foundation, but with a slick and well performing UI. And for my hobby, making music, the Mac was an ideal platform (starting with dual booting into OS9, but before long X had everything I needed running locally).
The advent of the iPhone was another revolution, although one I was late to adopt (it was only when my Nokia E63 died did I switch). Shortly after I got an iPad.
At this point I was firmly set in the Apple ecosystem. The convenience of all devices (for the most part) seamlessly talking to each other, sharing content is really useful. I also started to use the iTunes Store for content. I prefer to "own" the content I consume, and being able to avoid stacks of vinyl, CDs and DVDs cluttering up my house was a huge advantage (I also used other stored such as Beatport and Boomkat for music, which generally had more of the niche music I listened to). I was slow switch to subscription based streaming, and instead would buy the odd series on discount I wanted to watch if it wasn't available on the BBC's iPlayer. Fast forward fifteen years and I've accumulated a lot of digital stuff. And here's where the rot starts to set in.
Apple's customer service on the App Store is definitely worse than before. Ask for a refund if there's been a problem or mistake and there's no longer a human on the end to help: money down the drain. The lack of explanation leads to a hugely frustrating customer experience.
The apps for music and TV are now predominantly skewed towards watching subscription services. Own your own content and you get a crap, clunky UX (never mind whether it was purchased through Apple's own store or not). Even on the Mac itself it's getting harder and harder to use apps not distributed through the App Store. You still cannot add an MP3 to the iPhone's library from the iOS filesystem, you still need to go via iTunes (the iPod was introduced in 2001, more than twenty years ago).
Furthermore, Apple appears to have learnt nothing from Microsoft's anticompetitive behaviour in the 90s, and the regulator responses. Their anti-developer behaviour is getting worse and worse (see the new "terms" to comply with the DMA in the EU). Interestingly all of our junior developers (at the place I work) now avoid Apple on a personal level, preferring Linux and Android. This is a significant shift from just five years ago.
Don't get me wrong, there's still a lot that's good about Apple, but it's no longer great. The hardware is mostly superb, the software is not and the service is crap. Another example, where I work we get our staff maxed out MacBook Pros with Apple Care - the charging cables break and the only way to get a replacement is to book in at a Genius Bar. We're not huge spenders as the company is still quite small, but that level of dismissive service really makes me want to find an alternative supplier.
What do people do to avoid vendor lock-in with digital platforms?
Are there digital media players available for the Apple Ecosystem that provide a decent user experience for all DRM free content? Is there software from an alternative provider that lets you view downloaded video content from Apple?
What is the state of desktop linux and open source mobile operating systems (e.g. stripped back Android), that give a good experience for light home usage?
Has anyone tried alternative computer, tablet and phone suppliers recently? Are they just as ******tified?
In the meantime I've lost patience for my personal use. Today I removed the payment option from my Apple ID and cancelled all recurring subscriptions going through my account. It costs a ton more to buy through Apple, that extra is only worthwhile if they're able to provide some level of customer service. I'll keep using the hardware, since I don't yet see a viable alternative.
