If this had been the law 20 years ago, we probably wouldn't have Google Maps and people would still be using paper maps. Even the clunky Garmin and Tom Tom would have struggled to compete with cheap Chinese knock offs using their IP and Google would never have bothered getting in the game.Without Maps, there'd be no Uber, no Yelp. Even self driving cars might be further away than they are now. I'm all for companies opening up their systems to let smaller, unrelated ones leverage their tech but forcing them to give away the cow is counterproductive.
I love watching stories like this. When you have a company that talks about how much good work they do in the social arena, how they provide so much help to others to make the world a better place...until the rubber meets the road and they are asked to share data that others could actually use. Having a good chemical rating and using renewable energy and offering recycling all makes sense as long as it doesn't cost the company anything, or very little.
You won't find anyone on these boards that is more of a capitalist than I am. But in this case the "we want to be a good neighbor" PR shtick (and don't kid yourself into thinking it isn't shtick) is going to paint Apple into a corner. Apple isn't doing anything wrong by paying huge amounts of money to gather this mapping data and I don't fault them if they want to keep it to themselves. But in cases like that maybe dial down the rhetoric about how "we all need to contribute and pay back to the community" and the other stuff that would choke even the most socialist of people. In the meantime I will just grab my popcorn, because I love when social-cause warriors, or companies, eat their own.
I love watching stories like this. When you have a company that talks about how much good work they do in the social arena, how they provide so much help to others to make the world a better place...until the rubber meets the road and they are asked to share data that others could actually use. Having a good chemical rating and using renewable energy and offering recycling all makes sense as long as it doesn't cost the company anything, or very little.
Ah yes, the technical crowd which confuses real life with digital life. How is giving away data (or source code, for the open source zealots) even remotely the same as making sure you don't ruin the planet for future generations?
I get the whole sentiment of trying to make the world better by allowing everyone to build on top of a common foundation of technologies and data. Having everyone able to work to build better things rather than everyone duplicating the same effort. Which is exactly how academia works where you use a foundation of common, shared knowledge to achieve greater things than the generation which came before you (and thus add to that knowledge). Unfortunately, when it comes to things which can be directly used for profit, that model doesn't work. Knowledge itself is one thing, but the products which come from that knowledge are quite another.
There is no mono- or oligopoly here (like there is in Music Streaming, Appstores)
I’d like to know how the Appstores are “Monopolies” Each OS has their appstore for approved and verified apps. Apple does restrict you to that store for the best possible experience on the device. Android and FireOS allow for 3rd party apps with the risk of your privacy and data.
Music Streaming is your worst example, Google Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Prime Music, SoundCloud ... should I keep going? Best part is all of these are available on all platforms. Apple has even made and Apple Music App for android. Don’t believe me go check for yourself.
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You won't find anyone on these boards that is more of a capitalist than I am. But in this case the "we want to be a good neighbor" PR shtick (and don't kid yourself into thinking it isn't shtick) is going to paint Apple into a corner. Apple isn't doing anything wrong by paying huge amounts of money to gather this mapping data and I don't fault them if they want to keep it to themselves. But in cases like that maybe dial down the rhetoric about how "we all need to contribute and pay back to the community" and the other stuff that would choke even the most socialist of people. In the meantime I will just grab my popcorn, because I love when social-cause warriors, or companies, eat their own.
I get the whole sentiment of trying to make the world better by allowing everyone to build on top of a common foundation of technologies and data. Having everyone able to work to build better things rather than everyone duplicating the same effort. Which is exactly how academia works where you use a foundation of common, shared knowledge to achieve greater things than the generation which came before you (and thus add to that knowledge). Unfortunately, when it comes to things which can be directly used for profit, that model doesn't work. Knowledge itself is one thing, but the products which come from that knowledge are quite another.
Music Streaming is your worst example, Google Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Prime Music, SoundCloud ... should I keep going? Best part is all of these are available on all platforms. Apple has even made and Apple Music App for android. Don’t believe me go check for yourself.