Now i might be in the minority here, but I feel this is akin to telling someone that lives somewhere with a landlord that won't maintain the building to "just move".

I know it's not the same scale, and i'm not trying to compare poverty and human suffering to a web browser, but IMO there are some similarities.

Switching to an entire other OS which many believe to be less secure, that in many cases doesn't have many of the same applications, and significant changes to everything you do on your device (which for many is their ONLY device connected to the internet), for a web browser?

People won't do it, and I (as a web developer) don't think they should give up everything for a few web features. But when one party is purposely holding the ecosystem back, something should be done. They need to improve, or open up the playing field to others that will improve.

IMO forcing "operating systems" to be more inclusive would be a good thing, and could really improve not only iOS, but Android and Windows as well.

I don't know how this would look legally, i'm pretty far from a lawyer, but the discussion is at the very least worth having without hand waving any complaints away with "just buy an android"

If I put on my naïve glasses for a moment:

Apple has a monopoly on iOS devices. There is no competition. And if somebody would built a better or freer iOS device, Apple would use the full force of the state to stop them. So, in a very narrow fashion, Apple does use their government-granted rights to coerce you to buy it's devices, if you want an iOS one.

Of course, nowadays Android devices are more than adequate replacements for many users, so most people do have the option to buy outside of the Apple world, as you suggest.

> Apple has a monopoly on iOS devices.

And if you were complaining as a developer, that wants to distribute your software around, you'd have a point.

But the GP is complaining as a user, that has complete freedom to choose the phone he is buying. He just want the shinning locked-up one, but don't want the consequences of the locking-up. He has all the right in the world to complain about it, but if he won't do anything about it, why would anybody care to listen?

McDonalds has a monopoly on McDonalds's hamburgers too.

However! you can make your own Big Mac if you are dedicated: http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/05/the-burger-lab-b... I tried once and the result was pretty good.

But no one can sell me e.g. an iPhone 7 with audio jack. And I can't build one on my own.

But McDonalds cannot just put whatever ingredients they want in their burgers. They have to follow rules. Like not putting Nicotine in them.

Apple has a monopoly on Apple branded devices. Well, ok.

I was waiting for this timeless - and useless - HN riposte.