Advertisement: Scratch Proof your iPhone 4 with invisibleSHIELD. Full Body Maximum Coverage for $24.99. Front and Back Coverage for $14.99 each!
Siegler writes, “In theory, I’m right there with you. The thought of a truly open mobile operating system is very appealing.”
MacDailyNews Take: Yeah, to botnet herders.
Siegler writes, “The problem is that in practice, that’s just simply not the reality of the situation. Maybe if Google had their way, the system would be truly open. But they don’t. Sadly, they have to deal with a very big roadblock: the carriers.”
MacDailyNews Take: More crap. Let’s get real, shall we? If Google had their way, everyone on earth would fully disclose every pertinent fact about themselves and voluntarily chip themselves for GPS tracking so that Google could serve them ads during every waking minute while creepy Schmidt and Co. figure out a way to serve ads during sleep. Google abuses “open” in order to sell fake iPhones to non-iPhone carrier customers, because every real iPhone that Apple sells has the potential of eliminating Internet users’ morbidly ingrained dependence on Google, thereby sidestepping Google’s ads.
Siegler writes, “The result of this unfortunate situation is that the so-called open system is quickly revealing itself to be anything but. Further, we’re starting to see that in some cases the carriers may actually be able to exploit this ‘openness’ to create a closed system that may leave you crying for Apple’s closed system — at least their’s looks good and behaves as expected.”
“Case in point: the last couple of Android phones I’ve gotten as demo units from Google: the EVO 4G and the Droid 2, have been loaded up with crapware installed by the carriers (Sprint and Verizon, respectively). Apple would never let this fly on the iPhone, but the openness of Android means Google has basically no say in the matter. Consumers will get the crapware and they’ll like it. Not only that, plenty of this junk can’t even be uninstalled,” Siegler writes. “How’s that for ‘open?'”
Siegler writes, “And this is just the tip of the iceberg… One of the great features of Android is that you can install apps without going through an app store, right? Well, not if you have an a Motorola Backflip or a HTC Aria running on AT&T — they’ve locked this feature down. How? Thanks to the open Android OS. Oh, and how about tethering? It’s one of the truly great features of Android 2.2, right? Well, not if you have a carrier that doesn’t want to support it.”
More examples in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: People who buy Android phones because they’re “open” are ignorant, stupid, delusional, and/or liars. Most people who buy Android phones, really wanted an iPhone, but it wasn’t available on the specific carrier that they’ve convinced themselves they need. The main reason to settle for an Android phone will evaporate sooner than later.