<story><title>A Message to Our Customers (2016)</title><url>https://www.apple.com/customer-letter/</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>firebaze</author><text>I&amp;#x27;ll never buy anything from Apple again. Apple was to me the walled but good-willed garden, caring about their profits by respecting their customers and taking a stance against widespread anti-democratic tendencies. I own an iWatch, two iPhones and two MacBook Pros (one privately owned, one from my current employer).&lt;p&gt;The selling points of apple to me were to provide excellent hardware combined with excellent software, combined with a guarantee to protect my privacy.&lt;p&gt;The first point still holds true, the 2nd not so much anymore, and the 3rd was destroyed by the most recent move.&lt;p&gt;My stance will cause a ripple effect, I convinced quite a few people to use apple if they can afford it due to their general stance and their commitment to democratic values. Not all of them will listen if I now tell the opposite story, but most will. I hope Apple feels the effects of this decision in one of the upcoming stock-holder meetings.&lt;p&gt;Of course, I don&amp;#x27;t believe this helps against child abuse or any crime at all, in fact I believe the opposite effect happens: criminals probably know about moves like this one far earlier than the general public and react accordingly.</text></comment>
<story><title>A Message to Our Customers (2016)</title><url>https://www.apple.com/customer-letter/</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>mfer</author><text>Our two mainstream options for mobile OS are one that stalks you everywhere you go and monitors what you do for the company behind it and one that will look on device at your pictures to possibly report to the government (with other governments likely licking their lips). This two party system is starting to stink.&lt;p&gt;&amp;gt; &amp;quot;However mobile OS&amp;#x27;s may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.&amp;quot;  -- George Washington</text></comment>