I Hate My iPhone - NYTimes.com

At 4 in the morning, I was in bed, fighting rage. I couldn’t stop thinking about that device’s tarty little face and those yapping “apps” you can download for it. The whole iPhone enterprise seemed to require so much attention, organization, explanation, praise, electricity. I know — I know: in the morning, Apple’s latest miracle machine would fill my palm with meaning and magic. So why couldn’t I contain my annoyance? I had no new-thing excitement. It dawned on me: I hated my iPhone.

via The Medium - I Hate My iPhone - NYTimes.com.

Finally, someone else who isn't drinking the Apple cool-aid.

Here's the problem with Apple: it wants to be in control.  The original Macs came with funny-shaped screws so you couldn't even open the case; that could only be done by someone with a license.  No joke.  As the other operating systems--Mac and Linux--glide calmly toward greater user customization, Apple tightens its control on the user interface.  Apple works great and is easy to use, as long as you're willing to do things their way.  Use their hardware and their formats.  Got an iPod?  Only works with their software.

This is similar to the attitude expressed by Microsoft, which is "Not only are we smarter than you, but we can write software that is smarter than you."  Try to go into Windows' system folder, and you slam into a brick wall which tries to protect you from yourself.  (And yet, somehow, the OS never seems to protect you from other people.)  The difference is that with Windows, if you try hard enough, you can wrestle control back into your own hands.  With Apple, you are given permission to bow down before the greatness that is Steve Jobs.  (Or maybe not; the company has a horrible track record without Jobs at the helm.  Is Apple's comeback over?  We'll see.)

Incidentally, I hate my Blackberry for the same reason.  Want email on your phone?  You have to go through their server.  I have my own website with my own pop server, and I own the phone so I should be able to do whatever I want with it, right?  Wrong.  Just like with an Apple product, the Blackberry works great as long as you're willing to do things their way.  And as long as you're willing to pay for it; turn off the $10 a month internet access and you've essentially castrated the phone.  Doesn't matter that it has a wifi card; just because you bought it doesn't mean it's yours.

The good news: new challengers on the horizon.  Specifically Google's new Android OS which is already gaining acceptance, and Palm's new comeback kid, the Pre, which has already generated a lot of buzz.  So I don't have to just sit here and resent Apple.

J<