@chr0m4t1c

I say this without any hostility chr0m4t1c, but I do not think that anyone on this thread has been saying that other companies would not do the same given the opportunity. I believe that the point here is that Apple have gone further, sooner in this area than other companies. The point being, I believe, that we have to stop the rot now if we can.

@Robocat with regard to "Hello sock puppet"

"I'm afraid that whether a representative of MS is the most credible source of information is exactly the point."

No it is not. Most intelligent people are capable of understanding the difference between the message and the messenger. Furthermore it is usually regarded as a sign of a lack of genuine ammunition when one descends to the level of such childish personal abuse as such appellations as "sock puppet". I suggest that you reconsider how you conduct yourself in debate. If you are capable of that degree of grownup thinking, which on the basis of that pathetic personal assault I very much doubt.

@Robocat

"Wow...Microsoft attacking their competitors with FUD. They must really be scared of Apple especially now that Windows Phone 7 is about to go head-to-head with iPhone 4."

Whether or not a representative of MS is the most credible source of such criticisms is in fact completely beside the point. The question is whether or not Apple's implementation of their privacy policy deserves the critcism he expressed. The fact that your posting did not contain one word on the subject of the article and the thread suggests that you rather wanted to avoid tackling the topic - why might that be? A more unashamed use of diversionary attacks because one knows that one is on sticky ground would be hard to find.

@So long as you are an idot

"/smiles as he surfs the Internet on his Linux box recognizing I am the biggest threat to my computer"

Now that is an attitude I agree with 100%! Regardless of ones choice of OS it is the user him/herself who is the greatest threat to their pc. Anyone can make a mistake but if one behaves like a plonker then one ends up........

The International what community?

"Either this is a deliberately clumsy distraction or conspiracy theorists everywhere really need to re-evaluate their beliefs about the abilities of the international intelligence community."

The phrase intelligence community is an oxymoron. Hardly amazing really given that they do seem to employ an awful lot of morons. There are any number of examples of the less than "George Smiley" level of these tossers' performance of their "duties". That they might be involved in a less than amazingly skillful attempt to smear somebody is scarcely surprising.

Quite so.

I would further recommend that you keep your fingers crossed that the percentage of computer users who use a Mac remains extremely low and thereby ensures that macs are of little interest to the bad guys. If macs actually became popular you would find yourself up to your hips in it. In fact I would also recommend that you write to Mr Jobs and beg him to put mac prices up even further thus ensuring your continued immunity. As long as macs remain an expensive tiny minority sport you will continue to be reasonably safe.

@Or using your own logic

I was simply pointing out that much of this kind of comment is based on highly subjective evaluations and a good deal of the "grass wer greener when I wer a lad" kind thinking. That ought to have been reasonably obvious. That fact that this kind of criticism has occurred year in and year out for at least half a century really ought to give you some pause for thought. That which is sadly lacking in any debate of this kind is any attempt at objective analysis, it usually degenerates into the "granny`s body on the roof rack" urban myth.

Up to a point

I would agree with the thesis that a significant proportion of Apple's consumers of "fun electronics" do have a tendency to think that way although I have to say that I do know plenty of serious people who use *mac* kit proffesionally and are very pleased with it without displaying the symtoms that we observe amongst those who really do deserve the appelation "fanbois". However, if it is the case that Apple are relying on the uncritical admiration of a significant proportion of those who buy what we may call their lifestyle electronics to avoid what by any standards is only sound common sense in tending to their customer base properly then I believe that they, sooner or later, may end up paying a significant price for that attitude. They indeed may start paying that price rather sooner than they expect - which is bloody stupid given that they should realise that their reputation with *all* their customers (not just the fashion/self-image obsessed element) is the bedrock of their business.

Paris because she doesn't work either if you hold her the wrong way.

With regard to spamming, which..........

............country is the largest source of unsolicited e-mails on the face of the planet? I'll give you a clue, it is not an east european country or an asian country. It is the good old US of A whose legislators still refuse to pass any SERIOUS legislation against the spammers yet at the same time want to retain US control of the internet. When one considers that somewhere between 85 and 90 % of all e-mail traffic in world is spam it is a shame that the country that insists on retaining the power won't take the responsiblity of actually doing something *efffective* about it.

Yes indeed.......

....I was very pleased to see that news. It is about time that shareholders REALLY understood that their interests and those of the senior management/directors in the company concerned are usually not the same and very often in direct conflict. We have often seen in recent years the managerati downright pillage companies to enrich themselves whilst conning the shareholders into accepting this by claiming that unless they permit it they will not get "star quality" directors/managers. It is about time that institutional and large private shareholders called the bluff of this gang of overpaid thieves. If THAT became the common attitude amongs shareholders, where would these "stars" get employed? They would still be *very* well paid in comparison to ordinary mortals, their days however of downright robbing the industry/company they are employed in would be numbered.

Re "Writing advice"

My choice of icon is the only comment I need to make.

I would agree that........

........it does very much depend on which phone you have and how you use it/set it up as well as if you have a "locked" phone. I would however point out that these issues are first and foremost connected to what the individual manufacturer has put "on top off" Android. Sony's UI is somewhat thirsty and I have heard others commenting Timescape and what they had to say was not exactly complimentary! Personally I use a Wildfire and have no trouble gettin about three days out of it.

I don't think that the fanbois will.......

............appreciate that!

Thanks I appreciate it........

.......and further to your point about visitors I know of at least two companies (R n' D) who insist that any visitors switch off their phones and hand them over until they leave!

This of course would be a sheep.......

..........that had achieved infinite mass and caused a major dispruption in the spacetime continuum. "In space no one can hear you bleat".

I suspect that El Reg and the rest of us will give it a rest when......

........Apple cut out the "born again" "happy clappy" marketing that most of the rest of us find crucifyingly embarassing and in fact gave rise to the appellation "jesusphone" and when they admit that they did not get it quiiiiiiiiiiiiite right with Judasphone 4. In other words when Apple stop bloody well begging for it we might consider stopping it .

Way to go

"You see, what you have to remember - or - you just don't know, is that the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were the vanguard of their generation."

Yeah - thats what some of those posting here very clearly do not have a clue about. Plus the fact of those bands influence on a good deal of the music which the "younger generation" rave about today. (The Stones included even though I was first and foremost a Beatles fan!). Bands like that were a massive game changer in an era when the massproduction of recorded popular music really took off. The sixties was the decade when a "record player" in every home was something completely new, something that many blogging here do not have a clue about (not even sure whether some of them would understand the expression "record player"!).

If ignorance is bliss then a posting like that.......

indicates a very happy little bunny. The Beatles are arguably the most important pop-band of all time. Their combined sales alone indicate their influence. When the remastered collection was launched a while back it had huge sales and is continuing to do extremely well. Lennon and Macartney are widely regarded as two of the most influential popular music writers of the entire 20th Century. Anything more you wanted to bleat?

Well 'ard reset 'Arry.

Had to google the phrase to understand. Two forced shutdowns in a row? Cures the problem apparently? And then "it just works"? I think its a little bit much when a company recommends the update for your phone and you end up having to kick it in the arse repeatedly to get it to work properly.

RE: The operating system that refuses to die

"Windows 7 is better, but it’s still dreadful compared to XP. People realise this."

No, they do not believe that. "People" are buying Win 7 in large numbers. Personally, I do not believe it is the Second Coming as far as OS dev goes but your comment is arrant rubbish.

To Spacca and Admin......

...Interesting and common sense. I appreciate your postings.

Arctic Fox

Not possible to.....

.....express it better than you have just done. Loads of kudos - agree completely.