Everyone making this "general purpose computer" argument is disingenuously taking care to define the term specifically to rule out game consoles while covering the iPhone. The fact is that modern gaming consoles are general purpose computers complete with media center capabilities, operating systems, application stores, multitasking, networking, web browsing, streaming, etc.

Just like the case of the iPhone, the only thing that makes them appear otherwise is what software their respective owner companies choose to allow or disallow.

Why do people even feel the need to defend consoles? The fact consoles are also artificially restricted doesn't mean it's okay for the Iphone to be, it means they need to be fixed as well.

My take on it is that while both are bad, the iOS situation is far worse.

Almost no one would replace a desktop or laptop with an xbox while many people have done just that with an iPhone.

I do agree that the iOS situation is far more important.

While I do want the iOS situation fixed, I don't want the Switch or Playstation platforms to be affected in any way. Sony and Nintendo are the only publishers still making decent AAA games with the patience to sink a crazy amount of money and time into their projects. We'd all be worse off without games like Last of Us or Mario. Changing the status quo could turn them into another Ubisoft (devoid of all risk or creativity, and with a massive emphasis on microstransactions and games as a service).

And frankly, anybody bringing up consoles in this context is arguing in bad faith. The similarities are purely surface level.

> The similarities are purely surface level.

They really aren't. If you'd care to offer some reasoning behind your assertion that they are, I'm listening.

iPhone is neither a general purpose computer, nor is it integral to the economy

are you in 2007?

I have always seen iOS devices as consoles, or at least closer to consoles than PCs. Anything with a locked App Store and a locked boot loader is a console by definition. MacOS is a general purpose computer OS.

Considered as a console iOS is actually more open and capable than most.

A console that hosts an app to fight a global pandemic, is used for payment, flight tickets, banking, web browsing (for some people it's their only access to the internet), navigation, taking photos, calling an ambulance. Other than web browsing, none of the things I listed is done on gaming consoles.

You should let Apple in on that definition so they’ll stop marketing and selling the iPad as a general computing device.

Exactly. How many times has Apple said the iPad is a laptop replacement?

It is for a subset of the market that only uses the web and a few apps. Otherwise, no, and Apple knows it which is why they are sticking their ARM silicon in Macs and continuing to evolve MacOS.

That is not a subset. Running programs is what computers are for.

> Considered as a console

But it's not just a console.

Locked boot loader, locked App Store. It’s a console.

Apple's misbehavior includes locking out competitors to their own apps. This is as if Microsoft started removing Halo competitors from the Xbox (which they don't do). Just because of that the case is much, much stronger against Apple than it might be against Microsoft.

If a game deliberately bypassed paying Microsoft their cut of the in-game transactions, you think that Microsoft would be fine leaving the game in the store doing this?