Is Apple the new Microsoft?

You know what, we haven't given Microsoft enough credit. For years they have maintained a monopoly by providing and then denying services to it's users, questionable business and data collection policies, and utter ruthlessness towards competition. So it would only be natural that the biggest underdog would start emulating them.

From the Wall Street Journal

SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones)--Apple Inc. (AAPL) and a handful of mobile app developers have been sued for allegedly transmitting user information to advertising networks without the consent of owners of its mobile products, like the iPhone and iPad.

In a complaint filed Thursday, Jonathan Lalo of Los Angeles County, Calif., said Apple and a group of mobile application developers were selling personal data, including his age, gender and location to ad networks. Read more here

 This might as well been expected. Since the start of the internet, marketing firms and large companies have considered the user as more of a hassle then an actual customer, and nowhere else will you find as much customer disservice as with them.

Take a look at apple's business policy. They don't want the user to know that, with a little knowledge, they can fix their own computer. It makes sense as a hardware manufacturer, but you'd think it would just be easier to make all the port connections proprietary. I mean, it was good enough for Intel.

It just shows that nothing is free of catches anymore. It's depressing, really.