Comment by QUFB
5 years ago
Apple is a corporation listed on a US exchange, an entity where the only motivation is to generate profit for shareholders. It helps for corporations to frame business decisions in moral terms. If Apple cares about privacy, it is only because there is alignment with profit. If Apple cares about locking out APIs that disrupt their App Store profit, it doesn't hurt to frame the decision in privacy terms.
Currently my desire for both privacy, convenience, and usability align with Apple's current business decisions, so I choose iPhone. When Apple pivots to a new business model, I'll find the best compromise product.
I disagree strongly. Apple leaves money on the table by not aggressively tracking its users. And their investment in e.g. accessibility is certainly not driven by bottom-line considerations.
Apple is relevant today because they actually are focused on products, not profits. Sometimes it really is that simple.
It's naive to think any company exists for any other purpose than maximizing profit. That's business 101.