I disabled the allow push notifications checkbox in Safari, but still get prompted with the native Safari modal. I'm not sure how this is done, and it's infrequent, but I'm guessing Safari left a hole in their notifications web API that is being exploited.
Safari's implementation could also be improved. The modal forces you to chose without the ability to cancel, and saves the website into your preferences, even if you just want to immediately close the tab.
Facebook, Google, Microsoft have a walled garden, in-fact every company on earth thinks on how to keep customers from leaving.
The difference between Apple and others is that Apple products are far superior, i can't imagine myself using any Microsoft product if Apple provides it.
Google releases pretty much all of its products on iPhone. Apple doesn't releases anything on other platforms and when they do because they have no choice (iTunes on Windows), they do it poorly.
Well, Google certainly builds walls for its garden. Looking at things like nuking Reader in favor of G+, nerfing its applications on iOS compared to Android (funny how quickly iOS got turn by turn Google Maps once Apple released its own map application), and even initiatives like Free Zone in developing nations that provide free internet only for checking G+, gmail, and sites opened directly from a Google search). Just look at the shenanigans Google is pulling right now with Microsoft and getting Youtube on mobile there.
All of these companies throw walls up for the sake of profits and strategic benefit. Different heights, different locations, some hard walls, some soft, -but they all build them.
The entire free Android operating systems itself is just vendor lock-in for Google, which is an advertising (not search) company.
Actually, you're wrong, sometimes the iOS apps have features that Android doesn't have yet, for example, iOS Maps actually had the new Maps interface before Android. Also, Google has Google Takeout, which lets you leave Google and take everything with you.
Android is not vendor lock in, because Google isn't the vendor in this scenario, Samsung, Amazon, Sony, etc are. For example, Amazon doesn't include Google's services, and Samsung is clearly moving in the direction of pushing their own stuff in front of Google's.
>Actually, you're wrong, sometimes the iOS apps have features that Android doesn't have yet...
I didn't say they didn't, nor did I even imply it. Understand that this doesn't change the fact that Google witheld app features from other OEMs and kept enhanced versions for its own partners for competitive reasons. Just because Apple did it too doesn't mean Google didn't (as I already pointed out).
>Android is not vendor lock in, because Google isn't the vendor in this scenario, Samsung, Amazon, Sony, etc are.
I was talking about walled gardens, and wasn't making an arbitrary distinction of "vendor" lock-in.
As I was saying though, from the standpoint of a walled garden, Android as a free operating system has been remarkably successful as a soft wall for Google, getting their advertisements on more handsets more quickly than any other method. Instead of risking consumers switching, they are eliminating competitors before consumers even get the option to switch. OEMs have been keen to adopt an OS that cost them next to nothing and played nice with branding and in house apps.
Clearly Amazon and Samsung modifying the OS is a concern of Google's, and they are combating this with native apps, web apps, and their own competitive offerings (hardware included).
What you're basically saying is that Google used open source to create a protective ecosystem that prevents other vendors from taking over with their own moats.
Chrome serves the same function. It ensures Google is not blocked by browser default search engine changing, it prevents other people's walls. But would you claim Chrome is "vendor lock in"?
Android is primarily a defense mechanism. If Apple and Microsoft together had nearly 100% of the market for the mobile web, they could change the default search engine to Bing and sink Google overnight.
Android if anything, preserves choice and prevents lock-in, because unlike iOS, it is an open OS, and vendors can always change the defaults.
Apple is a hardware as software company. Google is an advertising company. Apple wants the dollars in your pocket, Google wants your eyes. Discussing things in terms of open, closed access to competitors platforms etc is missing the point of each company.
> i can't imagine myself using any Microsoft product if Apple provides it.
I can say that you are in the minority, people use apple now because they are cool and with subsidies cheap. I see a larger amount of android phones now than I did 2 years ago when everyone and their mother had an iPhone and now the Android phones are starting to look cool with there gimmicks like the phone pausing video when you look away.
People bought iPads because they were a cheapish replacement for a computer and they were cool, I think Apple has everyone beat on the tablet market at the moment, while more people might know what a Galaxy S4 is they probably don't know the name of a Tablet that isn't iPad.
But for computers cheap Windows laptops still reign supreme.
> I think Apple has everyone beat on the tablet market at the moment
At 10" yes, but at the 7" range the Nexus 7 is really superior to me as a user - I don't know the sales numbers though, maybe the iPad Mini is doing better there too.
Are you really suggesting that Apple products are superior in every case? Are you going to tell me that Safari is superior to either Firefox or Chrome?
But seriously, what are you demonstrating here by providing an anecdote? I've got some of my own: I use osx and windows 7/8 extensively every day, and (except xcode!) neither of them crashes with even the slightest degree of regularity: they're both great operating systems.
But of course, neither are evidence of any form to support the claim "x is better than y". Which is good, because it's a stupid debate anyway.
Okay, XCode crashes on me about every hour of use or so on my Mac Mini (especially when I leave it and come back). None of my Windows 7 programs have crashed on me in over a month. Btw, once XCode crashes, Apple offers to let me send in a technical report.
In terms of consumer experience, XCodes performance is hardly relevant. Use iTunes as an example. That god awful abomination gives me rage like few other programs manage.
Actually, lots of state security services are doing the exact same thing. Many are much much worse.
America is the only country (so far) to have somebody brave and public spirited enough to stand up and blow the whistle, and the only country (so far) to have politicians with enough gumption and common sense to make the requisite fuss, and to start to stand up against the encroaching tide.
It might be ugly, but it sure beats the silent acquiescence we see elsewhere.
In other words, America is the only country where the political system is actually working to protect the general population against an overreaching security state.
As far as I can see, that puts America far far ahead of the rest of the world, thank you very much.
There are german politicians that propose to take extreme measures such as banning US companies if they don't comply with stricter regulation. And you'll see there's a lot of other stuff going on in Europe. Of course you won't hear about that in your US-centric media.
If you're comfortable doing freelancing, it might be worth trying to set out on your own.
You have me curious as to what location you are in, although I would understand if you don't want to divulge that (to maintain your privacy). You might look into what remote opportunities exist, or maybe consider relocating.
I disabled them and never see them anymore.