Re: Apple's Spat With Google Is Getting Personal

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Rahul Tongia <tongia () cmu edu>
> Date: March 17, 2010 12:09:22 PM EDT
> To: dave () farber net
> Cc: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
> Subject: Re: [IP] Re: Apple's Spat With Google Is Getting Personal
> Reply-To: tongia () cmu edu

> I think there are even more fundamental issues than creativity per  
> se, including those of ownership.  Do I own a piece of hardware, or  
> "not really"? I was livid with Apple when my iPhone, legally  
> purchased and out of contract, could no longer be used as an iTouch  
> (no SIM) due to a software update.  I was out of the country and no  
> way to activate the US iPhone without finding an AT&T SIM, *just for  
> reactivation*.
>
> A far more grave manifestation of this phenomenon is with GM crops  
> whereby the seeds are now property of the company, and a farmer is  
> now not allowed to save seeds for future harvests.  Sure we could,  
> societally, agree to accept such a contract, but do we have  
> alternatives?
>
> Of course, why should a company sell a commodity product when a  
> niche/customized/specialized solution can be offered?  For those who  
> may not have seen the article, do read James Fallows story on a  
> factory in China that makes 3 cables for a mega brand, a store  
> brand, and no-name factory, that sell for several tens of dollars,  
> some $20, and $15, respectively - identical but for the label/ 
> packaging (and the manufacturer gets only a few dollars).  [the  
> article focused on a different theme].
>
> There's a lot of people in the world.  Many who don't have goods and  
> services a substantial fraction of us take for granted. The Q in my  
> mind is to what end does wealth *transferrance* become more prized  
> than creation, perhaps even at the expense of social equity? I am  
> continuously amazed at how inexpensively we can provide ICT  
> (information and communications technology) solutions for vast  
> public good, if only people could accept the modifications to if not  
> end of today's business models. That's a topic for debate another  
> time...
>
> Rahul
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 7:58 PM, Dave Farber <dave () farber net> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> > From: "Peter A. Freeman" <peter.freeman () mindspring com>
> > Date: March 17, 2010 10:18:51 AM EDT
> > To: dave () farber net
> >
> > Subject: Re: [IP] Re:    Apple's Spat With Google Is Getting Personal
>
> > Friends,
> >
> > Spaf has reminded us that the intellectual issues here are more  
> > fundamental than just profits or market share - not that those  
> > aren't important but that in the longer run they must be based on  
> > something more fundamental.
> >
> > In the bigger picture, both open and closed systems are useful - in  
> > almost any context.  For carrying on the day to day activities that  
> > most people engage in, the closed systems that work w/o much  
> > thought are just fine.  We don't have time to tinker with the  
> > carburetor (or electronic equivalent) every time we jump in our car  
> > to dash to the airport. But, if that is all that is available, the  
> > damage to creativity and innovation can be limiting and detrimental  
> > to society.  Would we have the overly complex, gasoline gulping  
> > cars that we must choose from today if it had been easier to tinker  
> > with them?
> >
> > While there may be issues with some of their assertions, the  
> > observations of Jonathan Zittrain (The Future of the Internet and  
> > How to Stop It regarding generativity and openness of the  
> > Internet ) and Larry Lessig (several books on the impact of over  
> > extended copyright law on innovation in several domains) are well  
> > worth paying attention to.
> >
> > Let's not cede all innovation to those "that know better."
> >
> > Peter
> >
> > ===============================================================
> > Peter A. Freeman, Ph.D
> >         Director, Washington Advisory Group
> >         Founding Dean of Computing and Professor Emeritus, Georgia Tech
> >         www.cc.gatech.edu/staff/f/freeman/
> >         Tel:  +1-202-294-5399 (mobile)
> > ===============================================================
> Archives        



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