God forbid. At least Microsoft didn't control our hardware. If Apple gets the same kind of monopole as Microsoft over computers, tablets and smartphones, they would basically control the entire field of technology.

As for the prices, people pirated Microsoft, which kept their prices pretty low (otherwise no one would buy it). With a monopole for hardware, Apple can dictate its prices (already very high) however it wants and people can either pay or go for the small non-integrated OSes.

That would be a nightmare.

And you'll be waiting a long time because their motivations aren't even remotely similar. You know what a monopolist does to competitors? It gives products away for free to bankrupt the competition. Or it buys the compeitor out and shitcans the entire operation.

Apple is sitting on $100B in cash. If it really wanted to it could do a lot of damage with that much cash (not even talking about equity or assets, just cash). But it doesn't, it selectively invests while the tech journalists write articles about what Apple should be doing with that money.

Why? Why wouldn't you want a company - any company - to do well, build great products, make their shareholders happy, and generally succeed?

Because I don't think their products are so great, and I believe they're having a negative effect on the industry.

If you find an ubuntu laptop with build quality equal to a MacBook Air or Pro, I'm all ears.

Same thing with the iPhone or iPad.

> If you find an ubuntu laptop with build quality equal to a MacBook Air or Pro, I'm all ears.

Ummm... what about Ubuntu on the MacBook Air or Pro?

That would work, unless you were determined to avoid Apple (I'm not)

Like forcing to make nice, durable, useable stuff?

All you guys going on about the hardware are missing my point. The vast majority of my tech support calls to family and friends are trying to work around Apple's Digital Restrictions Management on iPhones, iPads and similar.

Then there was the whole Apple/Samsung thing.

And the App Store policies. I've seen people come crying to HN time and time again because their app got pulled or they can't update it any more.

I don't consider them a nice company and I don't find their stuff nice or usable. So you can keep the rotten fruit away from me, thanks.