For example, you can create an app that only uses LAME + VideoLAN encoders and supports two of their formats, MP3 and MPEG4 nothing else, cause you're sure those work on the hardware you're building, that's exactly what Apple does, and Ubuntu, and Windows.
Just use your LOGIC how the hell is an open protocol the reason why stuff breaks? If everyone is looking at it and it goes through a lot more review than closed standards, they're the reason why we have the internet and how it works.
Contrary to what you believe on, Apple actually uses tons of open protocols and standards, they made Webkit what it is, that's free and open source, they still work on it as far as I know, they have their fair share of closed ones too, but open has worked for them pretty well.
The same applies to MPEG4 there are plenty of files that work on one player but not another. EX: Wait you also want to open an 8k MPEG4 file on a phone?
PS: I wish everyone that suggests open solutions actually needed to implement one. Generally, when people say open solutions they really mean leverage some huge chunk of code that someone else wrote, or let me leverage your hardware and software for free.
Apple's magsafe and lighting adapter plugs are far better than USB connectors. They are reversible and don't have tabs to break off on the device side.
If you look close at in the connector on this S5 you can see there are two separate 'tabs' that are rather fragile if you are not careful removing and inserting your power cable. I've seen these break on phones before.
http://images.anandtech.com/doci/8554/DSC_1380.jpg
The iphone connector has no small fragile pieces like that.
If you mean accessories like wireless keyboards I think the same 'just works' arguments directly apply. There are lot's of terrable 3rd party products out there.
It doesn't, though. Apple hardware and software are fragile, buggy, and crash-prone. They beachball at the slightest provocation and destroy work with abandon.
And aside from that, well, "You're holding it wrong." If it only works for one narrow workflow, it doesn't work; it's a toy solution for a stripped-down toy problem.
So, your happy with the VHS and don't need to play Beta tapes.
PS: Sounds like your happy with a walled guarden and want something that just works. Did you get a Blueray player or a conbo that also handels HD-DVD's?
Suppose you want an app to play videos. If your app uses a custom format no problem. If you support an open standard, the file might not, it might require more processing power than you have, it's probably for a different screen resolution, it...
In the end tech people are willing to trade stuff breaking occasionally for flexibility, but most people flip out when stuff breaks.
PS: I think you can break it down as do you want a VCR to show a movie to your friends, or a VCR that gives you an excuse to tinker.