Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Why don't Apple protect their software?

stevehaslip

stevehaslip

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 30, 2004
657
0
The Ocean Floor
with all the security and piracy issues with windows xp and other apps doesnt it strike you as surprising that apple doesn't put any kind of security on its software? (iLife, panther etc)

i know final cut and stuff does but thats quite a but more expensive. is there some kind of security check that goes on when you enter your details and register? does it log the serial number of the panther cd? this way the user wouldnt even have to worry about putting in codes and stuff.

i see that there isn't the mass piracy problems that there is for windows due to the amount of users, but with more press on apple around and more switchers something is gonna have to happen soon to protect future apple software?
 
Apple know how annoying things like XP's compulsory registration are. They're trying to avoid inconveniencing their customers but not putting any kinds of protection on their cheaper software. People have the right to make backups etc, so Apple are basically working on the honesty system. I suppose if it becomes a major problem then they would do something about it, but at the moment most of Apple's profits come from things that can't be pirated (hardware), so it isn't a big money loss for them.
 
leverage. you need a mac to run the software. usually a newer mac.
it's all about selling hardware.
 
Exactly, the software is there to encourage you to buy a mac. The margins on Apple software isn't that huge compared to the market size and how much they cost to make. Compare the prices of Apple's software with their nearest competitors - eg. FCP and Avid.

MS and Adobe etc make money through software. They don't have unpiratable hardware as their main revenue stream.
 
stevehaslip said:
with all the security and piracy issues with windows xp and other apps doesnt it strike you as surprising that apple doesn't put any kind of security on its software? (iLife, panther etc)

i know final cut and stuff does but thats quite a but more expensive. is there some kind of security check that goes on when you enter your details and register? does it log the serial number of the panther cd? this way the user wouldnt even have to worry about putting in codes and stuff.

i see that there isn't the mass piracy problems that there is for windows due to the amount of users, but with more press on apple around and more switchers something is gonna have to happen soon to protect future apple software?
Click to expand...
The Mac is really a different culture with a different set of values. It is not just Apple that does not require activation for its software. That point was really brought home to me last year when I purchased Norton SystemWorks 2004 for a Windows machine at work. The software required activation which surprised me. I am also a licensed user of Norton SystemWorks 3.0 for the Mac. The Mac version is not even serialized.
 
MisterMe said:
The Mac is really a different culture with a different set of values.
Click to expand...

I think you hit the nail on the head with that. From my brief experience in the Mac world (switched last April), the people seem genuinely more enthusiastic about their computer (and the company that makes them) and less willing to do something to hurt the platform. I think it's all about respect - Apple knows how to give it, Microsoft doesn't.

- reaper
 
i tell you what, when i've had a problem no matter how small or large theres always someone to help you with a mac. that help is free because people are willing to give it, unlike in the windows world where everyone is only in it to make money. sure there are support lines for macs but its not necessarily the first port of call.

when i have a problem i turn to the mac community.

when my brother has a problem do you know where he turns? google!
 
stevehaslip said:
i tell you what, when i've had a problem no matter how small or large theres always someone to help you with a mac. that help is free because people are willing to give it, unlike in the windows world where everyone is only in it to make money. sure there are support lines for macs but its not necessarily the first port of call.

when i have a problem i turn to the mac community.

when my brother has a problem do you know where he turns? google!
Click to expand...

This is so true. I have had to pay for so much assistance on windows PC's, where as every problem I have had with a mac has been solved by people on the net for free.
 
Trust

Most Mac-users respect Apple and pay for their software. As long as we respect Apple ( and other vendors ), they will respect us. So let us keep our responsability, in other words if we would hurt Apple we would eventually hurt ourselves. The good ( trust- ) relationship between Apple and their users makes me feel could to be a Mac user.
 
MisterMe said:
The Mac is really a different culture with a different set of values. It is not just Apple that does not require activation for its software. That point was really brought home to me last year when I purchased Norton SystemWorks 2004 for a Windows machine at work. The software required activation which surprised me. I am also a licensed user of Norton SystemWorks 3.0 for the Mac. The Mac version is not even serialized.
Click to expand...

OK, that sounds good but the fact is it is estimated that 50% of all PC software is pirated. Windows doesn't make much profit in China because you can buy an exact duplicate of the retail package for about $1 US. There are probably 25x more pirated copies of Windows "in use" than all flavors of Mac OS.

That's the reality of it.
 
matthew24 said:
Most Mac-users respect Apple and pay for their software. As long as we respect Apple ( and other vendors ), they will respect us. So let us keep our responsability, in other words if we would hurt Apple we would eventually hurt ourselves. The good ( trust- ) relationship between Apple and their users makes me feel could to be a Mac user.
Click to expand...


Well, Apple is the "professional" computer company. All ad agencies run apple. They have to license their software for sure. With this apple and all vendors will have constant business.

At least that what I think :))))
Cheers,
Dave
 
MorganX said:
OK, that sounds good but the fact is it is estimated that 50% of all PC software is pirated. Windows doesn't make much profit in China because you can buy an exact duplicate of the retail package for about $1 US. There are probably 25x more pirated copies of Windows "in use" than all flavors of Mac OS.

That's the reality of it.
Click to expand...
Nothing that you said contradicts anything in my orginal post. That said, I infer from your post that you think that Microsoft is responding as best it can to the overwhelming amount of piracy of its software. Now that I have a problem with. Until recently, Microsoft encouraged piracy. In the Third World, the Redmond monopoly actually provided tech support for pirated software. Maybe it still does. I still have a Microsoft mousepad that I received as a reward for registering a pirated copy of Microsoft Word 5.1. In effect ... no ... in fact, Microsoft paid me to use its word processor.

Why does Microsoft copy-protect its software now when it didn't before? It has to reasons for doing so:

1. It can.

2. It has to.

Microsoft can copy-protect its software because it has such an overwhelmingly monopolistic position that its potential customers see no choice but to buy Microsoft products. (Munich is a topic for another discussion.)

Microsoft has to copy-protect its software because it needs revenue growth. When you have nearly 100% of the market, you can grow revenue only by extracting more money from your existing customer base. Raising prices is one strategy. Another strategy is to force some fraction of nonpaying users to pay.
 
MisterMe said:
Why does Microsoft copy-protect its software now when it didn't before? It has to reasons for doing so:

1. It can.

2. It has to.

Microsoft can copy-protect its software because it has such an overwhelmingly monopolistic position that its potential customers see no choice but to buy Microsoft products. (Munich is a topic for another discussion.)

Microsoft has to copy-protect its software because it needs revenue growth. When you have nearly 100% of the market, you can grow revenue only by extracting more money from your existing customer base. Raising p0 rices is one strategy. Another strategy is to force some fraction of nonpaying users to pay.
Click to expand...

1) All business' need revenue. Why does Apple keep it's ROMs to itself. Why does iPod not support WMA, why does iTMS not sell MP3. Let's get real.

2) The world has changed. Back when office was not copy protected. Some of us in our youth would spend days downloading 44 zipped floppies from a buddy's BBS.

Now you have broadband that can deliver a gigabyte iso in an hour. Every protection scheme is eventually hacked.

Why are games copy protected now when they weren't in the past? Why are music CDs copy protected when they weren't in the past? Why is Apple juicy profit margin deriving professional software protected when their software wasn't in the past?

You want to know why people buy Microsoft? Because the alternatives suck. Linux sucks as anything but a limited server. Open office sucks. Mozilla sucks even though it is better when it comes to adware. Firefox is the first version close to commercial polish and performance.

PS: Why are Baby Ruth candy bars copy protected? i.e., if you walk out of the store with one without paying for it they take your arse to jail.
 
MorganX said:
1) All business' need revenue. Why does Apple keep it's ROMs to itself. Why does iPod not support WMA, why does iTMS not sell MP3. Let's get real.
Click to expand...
You seem frightfully stuck in 1997. Macs today are built to an open published standard. It is illegal to install MacOS X on a non-Apple computer, but it is technically possible to do so.

MorganX said:
2) The world has changed. Back when office was not copy protected. Some of us in our youth would spend days downloading 44 zipped floppies from a buddy's BBS.

Now you have broadband that can deliver a gigabyte iso in an hour. Every protection scheme is eventually hacked.
Click to expand...
Admittedly, you have a keen grasp of the obvious.

MorganX said:
Why are games copy protected now when they weren't in the past? Why are music CDs copy protected when they weren't in the past? Why is Apple juicy profit margin deriving professional software protected when their software wasn't in the past?
Click to expand...
This thread was not about games. Pricing policies in the games industry would, however, make for an interesting discussion. I explained Microsoft's copy-protection motivation in my previous post. Legitimate customers hate copy protection. It treats them like criminal suspects, but does little to thwart real thieves. Like I said, Microsoft didn't copy-protect its software in the past because its customers perceived themselves as having choice. Now, they feel that they have no choice but to accept whatever conditions Microsoft imposes. Interestingly, Microsoft does not treat its Mac customers so rudely.

MorganX said:
You want to know why people buy Microsoft? Because the alternatives suck. Linux sucks as anything but a limited server. Open office sucks. Mozilla sucks even though it is better when it comes to adware. Firefox is the first version close to commercial polish and performance.
Click to expand...
You have your opinion. I disagree with it. As I stated above, people buy Microsoft because they perceive that the Redmond monopoly is their only choice.

MorganX said:
PS: Why are Baby Ruth candy bars copy protected? i.e., if you walk out of the store with one without paying for it they take your arse to jail.
Click to expand...
Morgan, Morgan, Morgan. In order to copy a Baby Ruth like you copy software, you have to buy one candy bar from a vending machine or convenience store and make an arbitrary number of identical copies. You would then be able to supply each of your friends all the candy bars they want. What you described is simple shoplifting. Not quite the same thing, don't you agree?
 
stevehaslip said:
i tell you what, when i've had a problem no matter how small or large theres always someone to help you with a mac. that help is free because people are willing to give it, unlike in the windows world where everyone is only in it to make money. sure there are support lines for macs but its not necessarily the first port of call.

when i have a problem i turn to the mac community.

when my brother has a problem do you know where he turns? google!
Click to expand...

Actually, I turned to forums at nforcesrhq.com, with the ASUS forum here: http://nforcershq.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=13&sid=06afa00f83c4c1c677123ebf7ff25fb9

Pay close attention to the numerous stickies at the top, especially Tutorials and FAQ's. Compiled from hundreds of posts over the years, people have compiled an effective tutorial and FAQ for all future and current ASUS mobo owners to use. That is a community.

You see, in the same way there is a Mac community, there is also an enthusiast community, though, based on your hardware. For me, that was the A7N8X. While it was NOT the best overclockable motherboard, it was one of the most used ones--which led to a plethora of knowledge on it, which led to its maturity as a stable platform.

Even before then, when I was having problems with my VIA mobo, I found all the solutions at the forums at Via Arena and amdmb.com

Its all about knowing where to look.
 
johnnowak said:
"Linux sucks as anything but a limited server."

Um.. no? Stop embarrassing yourself.
Click to expand...


He was a bit harsh but basically correct. How close is Linux to being a viable everyday desktop OS for the masses?

On Topic: Apple doesn't have to worry nearly as much about piracy because you need a Mac to run Mac software. Apple's position is unique to the mainstream because it supplies the hardware and the software.


Lethal
 
MisterMe said:
Originally Posted by MorganX
You want to know why people buy Microsoft? Because the alternatives suck. Linux sucks as anything but a limited server. Open office sucks. Mozilla sucks even though it is better when it comes to adware. Firefox is the first version close to commercial polish and performance.

You have your opinion. I disagree with it. As I stated above, people buy Microsoft because they perceive that the Redmond monopoly is their only choice.
Click to expand...

I would agree more with MorganX but you are both right. Those alternatives to Microsoft are terrible if you compare them to Microsoft products. People also will use what their neighbor, friend, or workplace uses and they use Microsoft and they probably don't know about the alternatives. Then again, some users can't tell the difference between Mac OS 9 and Windows 2000. One girl told me she thought OS 9 was just like Windows and couldn't see the difference. Strange! Some people just can't see the differences in the interface or use many of the features.
 
5300cs said:
I also like to think that Apple has respect for its customers, unlike m$
Click to expand...

Yeah, well some of it is false respect... It's not even funny how many times a see a web site dedicated to pirating Mac software, and perticularly the operating system. Even though I do use p2p some, I never pirate Apple software, I will always buy it.

And I don't see why Apple doesn't impliment some kind of registration thing. You wouldn't even need to enter a serial, OS X could just send an email or whatever to Apple saying 'product x has been registered to John Doe.' And if Apple sees any kind of questionable activity, they could just say product x is no longer able to install on any more computers - and poof! No more pirates!

Now...me pirating M$ products is a totally different story altogher....
 
We have to register our personal details when we first install OSX don't we? Well, at least I had to. There didn't seem to be "Not now, do it later" button either. Possibly if there was no internet connection, it wouldn't ask.

Maybe they can track it that way.
 
'Cause Apple gets enough money from selling hardware along. That's where all their revenue comes from. Besides, what's Apple's market share vs. PC's market share again?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back