[citation][nom]Flynn_Serlant[/nom]Wow... You, uh, realize that Apple's fascist attitude toward its hardware and software has little to do with piracy, and everything to do with control? They literally have a stranglehold on a demographic who will throw money at them whenever they release a new product, regardless of functionality/quality. If Apple allows their sheep to be exposed to the outside world, then they risk losing that stranglehold, and they're going to f**k that chicken for as long as they possibly can.[/citation]
You seem to be the confused one here. If you look at Apple and Microsoft, then you can see what the "open" business model got MS...they are slowly going extinct, while Apple continues to grow and innovate. There is something to be said for keeping a certain business model in place and restricting access to the core components. Once just anyone is allowed to go in and program/do what they want, then they end-up creating products that do not fall in line with the business model.
Apple has hundreds of pages of text on just what a Mac interface should look like. Some may criticize this, but when you are selling to the general public you need to produce a product that provides the same look, works in a predictable manner, while at the same time is robust/stable.
Calling Apple's attitude "fascist" indicates that you understand little about how a business works, and that you really do not know what the term means. To classify Apple users as "sheep" also just shows the world how ignorant you are of people, and how intolerant you are of those who happen to think differently and practice different consumer activities than you. You imply that Apple makes inferior products, yet today the street set their stock target price at $500. Furthermore, you probably have not seen 10 year old Apple labs still being used, while their Windows counterparts are breaking down after about 3-5 years of use.