> and the cult-like mentality within the company that prevents them from improving it.
The apple devs I've spoken to over the years have confirmed that there is, indeed, an overbearing 'cult like' mentality within the company.
However, I think it is the apple-worship from outside the company which plays a larger role here.
Like all companies, Apple exists to make money. As much as I dislike the developer agreement, it has served the purpose of helping apple to control their devs and users, and has helped apple to make money.
Apple will end these policies when their financial health requires it. Given the readiness of many devs and users to forgive, defend, and rationalize on apple's behalf - and given apple's ongoing financial success - I think its going to be a long time before this changes.
Might not be as long as you think, Android smartphones are making steady in-grounds on market share and the open-ness of the ecosystem makes it much more business and school friendly. The apple stamp of approval process that requires everything to be pg-13 and closely monitors and restricts app's control of the device is crippling it for a variety of applications.
For example, it's kind of sad that the only way to capture high quality screen recordings is to jailbreak your device and install DisplayRecorder, and it's been that way for 5+ years. Hardware supports been there, apple policy has not.
Yes, but I don't see apple's grip weakening for a long time. Surprisingly, most people seem to be perfectly happy being told exactly what they can and cannot do on the hardware they buy. They are also happy to be told by others what features are worth having. Screen recordings? I mean, consider how effectively so many rationalized away the benefits of 3rd party keyboards and larger screens for so long.
Well, there seems to be some dissent in the choir [1]. And a growing sense among many Apple customers that it's all been downhill since Snow Leopard.
For myself, I can say that the benefits of Apple hardware are starting to be outweighed by the downsides of their software. And that while I love the hardware, the OS that is supposed to drive it no longer interests me; and the rapacious attitude that seems to imply that both devs and customers are sheep to be sheared grates on me.
I've been an Apple user from the days when I wanted an Apple ][ soooo badly. But these days, I'm not so sure.
The apple devs I've spoken to over the years have confirmed that there is, indeed, an overbearing 'cult like' mentality within the company.
However, I think it is the apple-worship from outside the company which plays a larger role here.
Like all companies, Apple exists to make money. As much as I dislike the developer agreement, it has served the purpose of helping apple to control their devs and users, and has helped apple to make money.
Apple will end these policies when their financial health requires it. Given the readiness of many devs and users to forgive, defend, and rationalize on apple's behalf - and given apple's ongoing financial success - I think its going to be a long time before this changes.