Movement / Media Research Action Project

Most users wouldn’t think of allowing Apple to dictate which applications they could or could not run on their iMac or MacBook, so why would they give Apple so much power over their iPhone or iPod? The “electronic hand” of the free marketplace allows users to sort out which applications are worth installing and using, and which should be trashed. There is no need for either Steve Jobs or Steve Ballmer to play the roll of benevolent dictator and certify applications before users can install them. The developer community and users must be careful here. If they allow Apple’s model for software distribution to become the new standard, it will be at the cost of innovation and users’ freedom to chose.

Read my full article on openmediaboston.org.