Comments on: “Censorship” at Apple

By: Libraryman

Libraryman — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:03:49 +0000

I personally think Apple’s control of content goes against it’s perceived image. “Think different” does not apply if you don’t give them your money. However, they are a business. It is their perogative to make money. I don’t complain about Amazons attempts to be as successful as possible and wont complain about Apple’s. My only gripe is they paint themselves as these greedless free-thinkers and it is clear that they are not.

By: Baxter

Baxter — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:06:45 +0000

Businesses exist to make money. If they happen to do some nice things along the way, that’s a bonus, but it shouldn’t be expected.

Which isn’t to say that businesses are evil, can’t be run ethically, and exist only to rape and pillage. I’d argue that Bill Gates, for example, did far more good with Microsoft than he has done with his foundation.

By: I Like Books

I Like Books — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:03:08 +0000

Free speech isn’t like free beer.

By: The Librarian With No Name

The Librarian With No Name — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:26:14 +0000

I suppose it depends on whether having his free book in the Apple store will generate more interest than having his free book talked about in heroic terms on anti-censorship and anti-Apple blogs for a couple of weeks.

If he knuckles under and removes the links for an Apple Store version, he gets access to an existing audience, but probably a pretty passive sort of access. If he makes a stand and frames it in terms of The Man telling you, the reader, not to read his book, he gets a huge amount of positive word-of-mouth. The article that all the blogs will be linking to even contains instructions on how to read the book on iOS devices.

So folks eager to read up on Apple’s latest dastardly deeds are sent directly to the place they need to go in order to read the book, and are left with the vague sense that they’ve got a moral responsibility to do so.

Maybe if we want more people using libraries we need to manufacture some David/Goliath controversy of our own. Bring up some local legislation slashing library funding and produce some grainy black-and-white ads accusing The Opposition of trying to keep you out of the library.

By: me

me — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:18:28 +0000

It’s a company in the private sector. They can “censor” whatever they want. Period. Of all companies to do it about the one who has been this controlling for so many years with such a rabid following probably isn’t going to win anyone over.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:09:27 +0000

This one was truly a headscratcher. Apple famously made Amazon remove all links to their store from the Kindle app on iPhone and iPad. Is that censorship?

Amazon quickly realized that it was better to have their platform out there on iOS devices and got rid of those links. You’d think that an author who’s become Internet-famous for spouting off new marketing ideas would come to the same conclusion.

Then again maybe it’s more fun to gripe about how he’s being repressed.