The Most Critical Critique towards Apple Inc. and Its Products’ Users
Written on the front
- Unless otherwise specified, the word “free” mentioned in this article refers to “free” in “free speech”, not “free” in “free beer”.
- Unless otherwise specified, the word “Android” mentioned in this article refers to AOSP and its free software derivatives without Google applications (such as LineageOS, Replicant, /e/, etc.), excluding Android containing the proprietary software Google Mobile Services and customized versions of proprietary software provided by most mobile device manufacturers (such as One UI, ColorOS, MIUI, EMUI and HarmonyOS).
- This article is written with feelings. This critique is not only targeted at Apple iPhone users. It can express my common views on all proprietary software.
- This article has been published on my personal blog, Mastodon, GNU Social, Diaspora and WeChat Moments, and Chinese, English and Japanese versions can be downloaded from my website. Documents were written in the free software OpenDocument text format. 5.This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode
Android, free software. Mobile device operating system, released under the Apache license. Open, inclusive, and respectful of the freedom of users and mobile developers. Anyone can customize Android and release its free software derivatives: LineageOS, /e/, Replicant…
Apple, proprietary software. Devil’s Head, the quintessential representative of proprietary software. The software released by Apple is almost entirely proprietary; The hardware released by Apple all serves proprietary software. Under the banner of “respecting privacy”, Apple has built a closed App Store, built a closed ecosystem, and restricted the rights and freedoms of developers and users. Operating systems such as iOS, macOS, and iPadOS released by Apple are all 100% proprietary software and are exclusively owned by Apple.
Android, free software. Apple, proprietary software. They come from two opposing camps, and they are not at odds. It’s free software that respects users’ freedom and community, while it’s proprietary software that doesn’t respect users’ freedom and community. It’s not just Siri that’s creepy: all Apple devices contain software that’s hostile to users. Although they claim to be concerned about user privacy, they don’t hesitate to put their users under surveillance. Apple prevents you from installing third-party free software on your own phone, and they use this control to censor apps that compete with or subvert Apple’s profits. Apple has a history of exploiting their absolute control over their users to silence political activists and help governments spy on millions of users.
Apple Inc. is the most vicious demons in the world. Backdoors, surveillance, censorship, DRM… It integrates all the villainies of proprietary software and infringes on the rights and freedoms of users without limit. Moreover, Apple unscrupulously violates the freedom of developers - establishing the closed App Store, removing all software that is not in Apple’s interests, forcing developers to use the App Store for in-app purchases and charging a 30% commission, and unscrupulously restricting users’ rights and freedoms to sideload external non-proprietary software.
Apple Inc. puts its own commercial interests first, uses proprietary software and its technical motives for extremely despicable purposes, not only infringes on users’ privacy like Google, infringes software freedom with proprietary software like Microsoft, but also uses DRM technology to infringe on the software freedom of computer users and the cultural freedom of cultural creators and enjoyers like Spotify, ignoring user freedom and community, seriously infringing on the four basic freedoms of computer users, seriously trampling on the ideology of free software and GNU philosophy, and seriously trampling on free culture ideas and knowledge sharing ideas. Apple Inc. should be destroyed immediately, dissolved and completely liquidated. Users or suitors of their products should also turn to other companies that are more respectful of free software and destroy them with Apple Inc.
However, even so, there are many people who still worship Apple Inc. and Apple products fanatically, kneel and lick Apple Inc. which violates their rights and freedoms, and contribute countless revenue to the devil that could have been donated to the free software communities and make the free software camp more powerful. There are many reasons — either they think Apple devices are better to use, think Apple devices are safer, or the worst — they just want to worship the Apple brand.
Apple device users who think Apple devices are better or more secure to use, as mentioned above, are not extremely vicious and heinous. They are simply ignorant and ideologically controlled by Apple Inc., chasing Apple products. However, those who know that the software released by Apple Inc. does not respect the users’ freedom and community, understand the free software ideas and GNU philosophy, but still brainlessly chase the Apple brand, and even take pride in using this brand of products, and look down on those who use Android phones that are more respectful of users’ rights and freedoms. They are the heinous, the lowliest and dirtiest, and should be destroyed along with Apple Inc.
Although the current free software camp is temporarily inferior to the proprietary software camp, I believe that the ideology of free software will eventually spread and develop, and it’s free software that will eventually replace proprietary software, just as socialism will eventually replace capitalism. And the proprietary software activists represented by Apple will eventually be crushed into powder by the wheel of the times.
Best wishes to the victory of the Free Software Movement!
By Carter Zhang on July 21, 2023