cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/6745228
TLDR: Apple wants to keep china happy, Stewart was going after china in some way, Apple said don’t, Stewart walked, the show is dead.
Not surprising at all, but sad and shitty and definitely reduces my loyalty to the platform. Hosting Stewart seemed like a real power play from Apple, where conflict like this was inevitable, but they were basically saying, yes we know, but we believe in things and, as a big company with deep pockets that can therefore take risks, to prove it we’re hosting this show.
Changing their minds like this is worse than ever hosting the show in the first place as it shows they probably don’t know what they’re doing or believe in at all, like any big company, and just going for what seems cool, and undermining the very idea of a company like Apple running a streaming platform. I wonder if the Morning Show/Wars people are paying close attention.
Insert South Park Disney Mickey Mouse China meme
Big props to John for walking away.
How did Apple not see this coming up as future conflict with it’s talent. Its almost like they didn’t watch the fucking show, or the causes he devoted himself to after retiring. It’s a rare thing I know, but not everyone can be bought. His entire platform that he’s built up over the years, would have collapsed if he had pulled a John Cena.
Stewart was “edgy” in the 00s but is largely a safe bet these days. More Kimmel than Oliver.
China was always a danger but also seems like the kind of thing that can be “this is the one topic you aren’t allowed to talk about” and nobody would ever really notice.
The real issue is AI. You can’t NOT talk a bout AI at this point and that is where even liberal leaning centrists tend to have very vocal takes about the implications on labor and media.
I also disagree with the Kimmel comparison, as his facade as a nice guy became transparent as his show progressed. I am not a Stewart fanboy in any sense, and while he may have lost some edge due to maturity, he has stayed true to what he thinks is the right thing.
I am not talking about whether you like them as a person or want to go to their birthday party.
What I mean is that Kimmel will go hard on a “safe” topic like trump but is not going to be causing controversy. That is more or less where Stewart has been since The Daily Show (honestly, kind of during it too).
Whereas people like John Oliver are very much the kind of people you hire knowing that the ratings will be worth the controversy.
but is not going to be causing controversy.
What is this thread about?
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I will admit I really haven’t considered the implications of AI being a real threat. I am aware that it is a potential tool to cut labor costs, but havie not gone further into the rabbit hole.
In the early 2000s, the conservatives were The Man.
Progressive ideology from even 2012 has largely trickled into conservatism as it is now. Modern “progressives” are now going mask off as neoliberal uniparty fascists. It’s why the Democrats and uniparty Republicans both support war while conservatives are opposing it. 40 years ago Republicans fully supported proxy wars with Russia.
Canceling Apple TV over this, knew they were spineless, but this is pathetic since it’s one of the few shows I watch on it. Growing really tired of all these service subscriptions as it is.
Same. This is my 3rd to last subscription. The ones left standing are Spotify and Shonen Jump. Because they still deliver what they are supposed to without bullshit.
Spotify suggests new artists to you based on who pays them the most. Their business model is expanding into you being the product.
I’ll deal with it once it starts affecting my ability to listen to what I want when I want.
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even sailing the seas isn’t as viable anymore
This is still perfectly viable.
I’ve had issues finding a reliable private tracker
Check out xmanagerapp dot Com. Solid cracked premium Spotify client.
Thank you!!
Spotify is nearing the cut point for me. Subbed since 2011. The UI is getting worse…
I mostly listen in my car. As long as the UI has search and playlists I can make, and those play with no issue, it’s doing what I need. Play button, pause button, etc… I don’t need much else.
I had Netflix and then cancelled it as a cost saving measure during COVID. I also have Prime which I never even bother with, because of it’s fucking format. I wound up with an early sub to YouTube because I got completely enthralled with Time Team. I found that it pretty much has everything I want to watch. I never thought that would’ve happened because I initially considered YT a lower tier service.
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reduces my loyalty to the platform
Why the fuck would you have any loyalty to Apple? They sure as shit don’t have any loyalty to their customers. In fact they piss in the face of their customers and tell them it’s raining.
Apple has setup their walled garden in such a way that you’re basically all-in or all-out of their ecosystem. I don’t know that they have brand loyalty as much as they have a captive audience that they can sell iWhatever to over and over again.
they have brand loyalty
Oh, they have some brand loyalty atleast. In my country, Apple has a miniscule market share across all domains[ laptops or phones included ]. They recently launched 2 Apple Stores in a bid to slowly extend themselves inside the market. Quoting from a news article
Another Apple loyalist, Vivek, who waited in the queue for 17 hours to get his iPhone said, "I have been here since 3 p.m. yesterday. I waited in the queue for 17 hours to get the first iPhone at India’s first Apple store.
I’m pretty sure those people who wait in line are either paid to do so, or genuinely suffering from a negative mental health condition.
if you see price of iPhone in developing countries, it cones out to be more than a month of income.
so, it’s essentially a status symbol.So they’re basically 50s house wives showing off their new microwave. Why are humans like this, like I get showing off your shit but doing it for status is just weird.
that’s very much on the point.
As for the reasons — from what I’ve observed — it’s more of a follow culture. they saw someone influencial(in their eyes) doing this, so they now have to ape it. I doubt if there is any more thought process going on here.I have friends who have bought(or actually, have been bought into) these phones on monthly installments.
They could sell bottled water, claiming it’s better than all other water and the absolute fanboys who will live and die by apple will absolutely spend a whole months paycheck and sell their liver just for a single bottle.
Yep, remember this is the company that sold wheels for $700
I’m no fan of Apple, and didn’t want to believe they did this. So I googled, “$700 apple wheels,” and found this.
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MX572ZM/A/apple-mac-pro-wheels-kit
I swear they could sell literal feces.
That’s amazing! They also have a stand for $1000, stainless steel feet for $300 and a water bottle for $80.
It’s crazy what money people are willing to throw at apple.
Worst of all, you still need a hex bit (that fits) instead of them adding it to the kit for that ridiculous price.
They currently sell
for $1,000.
It’s not even new. It’s been out for over three years.
It’s not just any monitor stand! It tilts and goes up and down and is shiny.
This is, and always has been, an illusion.
They have brand fanatics that don’t want to research alternatives because most Apple users aren’t even close to knowledgeable of emerging technologies outside their own ecosystem.
Apple retains customers by making them comfortable with the fact they offer most of what they need, and in an attractive, easy-to-understand package. The walled garden makes them feel safe and connected in a world they are slowly falling out of touch with, or the world they never were in touch with (the tech world).
I know people of all levels of intelligence that use Apple. It’s not about that… But I don’t know a single apple user (that has chosen that path) that’s highly knowledgeable about things like modern security, privacy, and/or the true potential and limitations of modern devices.
I’ve met a lot of hardcore people way up in the tech hierarchy that rock MacBooks. Like people who maintain popular languages, people who make kernel contributions, people who design CPUs and accelerators.
There are many knowledgeable people who willingly make the choice, understanding the tradeoffs and accepting them. Some people don’t want to be fucking with Arch or Kali for hours, or auditing their smartphone’s firmware, for the same reason most combat veterans don’t walk around wearing a bullet proof vest and a rifle.
Will you meet some hardcore hackers who won’t upgrade the kernel until after they audit the changelog of both the kernel AND the compiler they’re using? Sure. You’ll also meet some people who live in a bunker. They have their valid motives for doing so, and people have valid motives for not doing so.
Those people have MacBooks almost entirely because of the Terminal and because they don’t want to deal with Linux or WSL. Brand loyalty plays little into their decision
Hell, they tell them its apple juice and people are swallowing as if their lives depend on it. A few people i know use apple products like the iphone, and then complain when certain software doesn’t run on it. I told them thats why they should have stayed with android. And they just get angry because apparently Android is for poor people?
No, but they have at least two good sci fi series.
What’s the other one?
Silo
I’d argue that the two are For All Mankind and Foundation. However, Silo, Ivansion, and Severance could all be in that discussion.
Yeah I’m not gonna lie, their streaming platform is incredible but I ain’t giving them any money LOL
They have one or two good shows, but it’s a HUGE stretch to claim the entire offering is “incredible”.
I’ve gotten it for free through tmobile for over a year now, and it’s the least used platform I subscribe to.
Agree to disagree I suppose 🙂
We are in a dystopian future, where cooperate interests trump reporting.
Independence or the free media does not exist anymore, they are all governed by the economic interests of the 1%. Democracy is hereby dead, and nobody is fighting to save it anymore.
Democracy offically died in America the day Citizens United was approved by the Supreme Court.
Say it with me everyone - CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE
Nice post.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, ahead of its decision to end The Problem, Apple approached Stewart directly and expressed its need for the host and his team to be “aligned” with the company’s views on topics discussed. Rather than falling in line when Apple threatened to cancel the show, Stewart reportedly decided to walk.
Good for Jon Stewart. He held the line even when the money people demanded that he compromise. Maybe a VP pic. I could see it.
He is successful enough, old enough and made enough money, that he can just retire. Threatening him is an empty threat. He is 60 and probably given his long career earned more than he can spend in rest of his life, unless he goes super yacht and private jet crazy.
The whole show was a come back from retirement essentially. A voluntary indulgence on his part. Surely lucrative indulgence, but indulgence still. Apple needed him, he didn’t need Apple.
Most of the crew probably will leave for other project with a letter of recommendation from John in their pocket.
Apple tv sucks anyway. I’d like to remind people that it’s near the end of the mls season and they still have no android mobile app. They actively piss on anyone not totally in line with their ecosystem, etc.
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For what it’s worth, they do have an Android TV app.
Which makes the lack of an android app all the more shitty. They have one already but refuse to make it available if the device isn’t connected to a TV.
Then you get into the actual layout of the program. Spoilers are a huge issue. I can’t watch a game later without having the game ruined partially. Sure you can switch off scores, but you still have to scroll through game highlights to get to the full match replay.
another reminder that apple’s “privacy, that’s iPhone” is a marketing gimmick. they profit from surveillance and censorship in China1. elsewhere, this catchphrase has allowed them to suck Facebook’s as revenue into their growing ad business, surpassing even tiktok in terms of ad revenue2.
they’ll happily do pink washing, but will try everything do dilute labour rights3.
so, apple is just your average big tech. nothing exceptional about them(except for them suing regular people to oblivion4).
in case of hitting a paywall, either disable JavaScript, or use bypass paywalls clean.
1: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/technology/apple-china-censorship-data.html
2: https://finshots.in/archive/apple-is-an-advertising-giant-almost/
3: a simple search result would lead you to many such cases: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=apple+labour+rights&ia=web
4: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/11/technology/apple-trademarks.htmlThey were so close to implementing on-device scanning last year it’s scary. The number of people who supported it because Apple promised to only use it for child sexual exploitation material really shocked me. “Think of the children” really does have a way of making people’s brains short circuit.
It was a lot longer ago, like 2.5 to 3 years ago, but that’s pedantic.
My own father was shocked that they’d do that (his death is how I know the timeline; no sympathy required, I’ve dealt with it, it happens). He really respected them, primarily through my respect of them and excitedness about their tech. He was blown away that they’d even consider such a thing. He just couldn’t calculate how such a misstep could happen. I can, but what a mistake that was.
I’ve seen an argument that this could have been a calculated risk to prevent attacks when they enabled increased encryption. I don’t think it was that, even if that was the resulting effect. They are too protective of their brand to deliberately take a hit.
Looks like I’m going to continue not watching Apple TV for the foreseeable future.
I have many subscriptions that I pay for, netflix (for now), HBO, prime… but Apple is not one of them. I just Sail the seas when I want to watch Severance lol
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Ahoy, matey
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“Let’s talk about all the cheap Chinese labour that Apple uses despite being the 10th richest company in the world.”
“Let’s not.”
Yeah. Apple are the Machine
Apple users: buys iPhone for privacy
Apple: all your data belongs to me now
i would totally help crowdfund a jon stewart show
I didn’t think my opinion of Apple could go any lower but I guess I was wrong.
reduces my loyalty to the platform
Uh? Wow! Way to show them bastards. ;)
Not the OP, but Hey… I’m loyal to the makers of my shoes because they fit great and last. I’m loyal to my preferred food brands because they taste great and have consistent quality. I’m loyal to a book publisher because their tech books are comprehensive.
Loyalty to a brand is not submission. It means you pick the brand over others due to positive past experiences. Don’t imply that someone is a sheep for liking a company’s products; you didn’t say it, but it’s clear that you think less of the OP for using that word.
I can completely respect your perspective. Yes I was being short when I made this comment, no offense to the op was intended.
To patronize a service because its good does not imply loyalty.
Apple has a long history of being manipulative and exploitative of their customers. Being loyal to them (from my perspective) is like being loyal to an abusive person. You obey their commands not because of respect, but because you feel an emotional bond to them.
There is something particularly amusing and very ironic that a mega-corp like Apple, the most valuable company in the world, is standing up to defend a communist dictatorship and won’t accept any dissent.
I hope he moves to a different platform, one that’s not so beholden to the Chinese audience.
HBO already has John Oliver. Put the Jon Stewart show back to back with him.
