koop

If Apple is going through all this trouble to sell people on better DACs they better actually release lossless audio with Apple Music. 

And honestly, if we're being honest, Apple already has a GREAT DAC built into the iPhone. One of the best for a mobile device actually, and probably better than most computers too. I'm not seeing how you improve audio by leaving the construction of DACs to the headphone manufacturer. I'm sure the lightning earpods will have a good setup, but earpods are well...earpods. All Apple has done here is add complexity to their device, and that's not consumer friendly.

So you're telling me through the power of anecdotal evidence, random listings of chinese manufacturers and brands that there are some Android phones that can't run a game and it doesn't even run on the pre-release beta version of Android N yet?! What?! What will you tell me next, that these phones are not sold in the United States and are likely sub $100 prepaid phones for developing markets too? Have mercy!

$450 headphones isn't what I would call "for the masses" 

michael scrip said:

jonl said:

It's really very simple. Spotify, like Netflix and others, has its own billing department. It doesn't need Apple to facilitate charging for subscriptions. Their app should be able to send people to their web site to sign up just like when trying to use the app on a TV, BD player, etc.

The problem is, many users aren't aware of the rules. As I wrote earlier, Spotify has put out a sort of PSA, and I hope it educated a lot of people who Apple might otherwise have tricked into paying an exorbitant recurring tax to Apple. In fact, it did educate CNBC anchor Brian Sullivan, who stated at 2:44 EDT today that "he was one of the idiots who subscribed to Spotify through iTunes, and he's got to go back and fix that." Good for him!

The clapping seals supporting Apple in these threads are certainly concentrated here but few in number in the real world. Real people who hear about this are outraged and feel like idiots for paying Apple 30% more for nothing. They feel like Apple tricked them. Like Brian Sullivan, they're going to fix the problem.

Spotify raised the price in the App Store versus what they charge on their own website.

Brian might feel like an idiot... but that was a decision made by Spotify.  I'm sure he's not the only person who didn't know about the two different prices.  But shame on Spotify for even putting their customers into this situation.

Netflix, on the other hand, charges the same in the App Store as they do on their website.  They just eat that cost. I haven't heard Netflix complain about it in countless articles... so perhaps they realize this is the cost of doing business.

Weird. Can you tell me what on-demand video service Apple has released? No? Do you know the intricate details of Netflix profitability and sustainability with video vs music streaming companies like Spotify? 

Lots and lots of bloviating by the Apple crowd as usual. Stinks when you have and twist and contort yourself to make an argument.

lkrupp said:

I built my restaurant business from scratch with blood, sweat and tears. Now my competitor wants to set up shop in my restaurant and sell their food alongside mine thereby giving customers a choice. Choice is great for customers they say. And my competitor doesn’t want to pay any rent or utilities. I tell my competitor to go pound salt so they write a letter to a politician who is only too happy to warn me that my attitude is anti-competitive. 

Amazon gets to choose which products they will sell in their online store and they DON’T sell the Apple TV. It’s banned. Why can’t Apple choose whose products it sells in its online store? Why is Amazon competitive and Apple is anti-competitive?

Why can’t GM sells it trucks on Ford’s showroom floors?

Ignoring your inane analogy, Bezo's has already insinuated he removed Apple TV from Amazon because of their app store policies, and he's not all that interested in allowing Apple platforms to access all its media services as a result. I hear Apple users complaining about the lack of Amazon support, and I wonder if these are the same people so gung-ho over the idea of giving extra money to Apple for subscription services. Whether you care to believe it or not, Apple started it. Ask yourself why Roku has Amazon services or Playstation has Amazon services (Playstation Vue is on the Fire TV Stick). It's building relationships and not using your platform to royally screw people over. This is why I own a Roku and stick to the more open and amicable platforms over the closed platforms that serve to use me as a piggy bank.

Apple of course just spouted a red herring as a response to Spotify and people think it was amazing. If Apple's device sales begin to nose dive, you better believe Google, Amazon, Spotify and service leaders will be waiting to hold their head underwater and help them to the grave that much quicker. This is the same shit that Microsoft pulled in the 90's except they didn't have as many clapping seals.