(Yeah, this is a rant):

You know really sickens me? That there is a bunch of pied pipers towing the industry towards dependence on single ecosystems of single manufacturers, on permanent active data connections. All this with the encouragement of ignorant bloggers misleading even more ignorant customers.

When I compare this situation with, let's say the PC market: I can assemble my own computer, with the components I myself select. Then I'm free to install the OS I want (even hack OS X to run on x86 hardware). Then in Linux, and even in Windows, I'm free to install any application I want, developed by anyone, using whatever application language the developer wanted. My applications do not stop loading when there is no active Internet connection (unless, of course, they are Web related). Also, I can do whatever I want with my files.

Now, in the mobile market, I'm constrained to the hardware manufacturers decide to release, which I understand due to the level of integration and scarce resources available on mobile. Then, I have to resign myself to the OS that comes with the hardware or viceversa. How many times a HW feature you want it's
on an OS you don't want? Or the inverse situation?

Then, as a developer, I have to bend down and use the particular SDK of said manufacturer. And if you want a particular application, and the developer doesn't support your OS, then bad luck. (Hopefully Qt and HTML5 will alleviate some of this!).


Don't get me started on OS design choices: you can't be productive on certain OS/devices because their lack of true multi-tasking do not allow you to kill dead periods of time (i.e. let's quickly check mail while a webpage loads).

Also! If everything is online, then you need a data plan (which can be very expensive), and resign yourself to short battery life because the connection is going to be active the whole time.

Do you want to upload your own files, on your directories, and have them available to every application capable of accesing your system's file directory? Good luck doing that on iOS or WP7. You have to chain yourself to iTunes or Zune (and now iTunes is going to be in the cloud!).

If there is people than want this, to get themselves chained to the whim of manufacturers with echoes of thunderous applause from their peers, all for the sake of convenience and sheepleware, then so be it.

The problem is when this tendency eliminates choices for people that like having choices in the first place. Choices of where to store my data, of where to keep my personal information, of what I want to expose to manufacturers for which your online activities are the main source of revenue, or keep milking you for things that used to, and should be free (there is an app for that!).

That is why I'm getting a N9, perhaps the last encarnation of what freedom of uses in mobile should be.

As usual, XKCD explains it better: