spheric

Stabitha_Christie said:

22july2013 said:

lwr32 said:
And how often was Obama on the golf course?

Obama played golf 333 times during his 8 years, which is more than Trump. Trump's golf tally is harder to count, because one of his homes is on a golf course, and he's not always playing golf when he's at that home.

We know how much Obama played golf because the administration was transparent. We don't don show much Trump paid golf because the administration is not transparent. Also, in his first term he spent 102 million on golf. At the time was just 12 million under what Obama spent on golf for his two terms. So far in this term he has spend another 18 million. So he may or may not have played as much golf as Obama but he has spent more on golf and the personally profits from the money the government spends on his golfing. But he is totally about trying to cut government spending. 

22july2013 said:

lwr32 said:
And how often was Obama on the golf course?

Obama played golf 333 times during his 8 years, which is more than Trump. Trump's golf tally is harder to count, because one of his homes is on a golf course, and he's not always playing golf when he's at that home.

Stabitha_Christie said:

Does this mean we are now great again?

Javert24601 said:

Wesley Hilliard said:

neoncat said:

Mr. Hilliard, you're a fine writer and I enjoy your articles. But your increasing need to challenge readers with parochial arguments in the comments is a bad look (not that my opinion matters, of course.)

I have no real skin in this game—I don't live in the EU. I tend to like more open systems than more closed, but I get the advantages Apple's approach brings, even if it also brings tremendous baggage and restrictions that deserve to be challenged. More importantly, however: Dominos have an interesting way of continuing to fall. The longer Apple digs in its heels, the less control it will have over outcomes. Which is such classic Apple behavior: Kick and scream until the terms are fully dictated and then they have zero chance to represent their viewpoint, whether on behalf of their customers or their own financial goals. They should let go of the App Store before the whole thing, bad *and* good, gets burned to the ground. 

Nothing I said contradicts what you said here. I'm not sure what you mean by saying my posts are some kind of church gospel. As I've said on Bluesky and other places, more than one thing can be true.

Apple digging in its heels isn't great. It's in a troublesome issue of its own making. However, the EU is overstepping by making demands it doesn't always seem to understand. Compel Apple to open up, but on its terms and timeline. Don't force hastily made changes that could be compromising to users.

My comment was directed at the original poster's comment about envying alternative app stores, which I do not. I'm happy that regulations enabled things like emulators without much trouble, but asking Apple to destroy its business model to make way for competitors that can't keep up, now that's an issue.

People like me that buy Apple for the closed ecosystem of products like that it's built on privacy and security first, then opened up in certain ways to allow more third-party interaction later. It's time for Apple to allow more smart watch functionality outside of Apple Watch, for example. But asking Apple to open up AirPlay and other proprietary systems is incredibly short sighted.

What's the point of competition if the EU regulates all the competitors to operate identically. That's not user choice, that's the kind of dystopia where all the brands in the store have been removed in the name of equality. I don't want to have an Android phone, so I didn't buy one. I don't want the EU to force Apple to make iOS into Android.

That said, regulations are helpful in pushing companies into making consumer-friendly decisions.

See, more than one thing can be true. In this case, I think the EU is pushing too far. I'm sure some compromise will be made and consumers will ultimately benefit.

Thank you.  I agree with what you wrote.  I think the free market does work, so if another smart watch were selling well, I suspect Apple would support it.