Apple: The Jerks That Know How to Design UIs

WARNING: RANT AHEAD!

That's it. I'm pretty sick of arbitrary limitations and restrictions. I had an idea for an iPhone application. Today, I decided to look up how to do it. It turns out that Apple doesn't have an API for bluetooth for the iPhone. I don't get it. Why do they arbitrarily restrict things? "Oh, here you go. You can have a steak, but you can't have a knife or fork to eat it with!" That might as well be Apple's motto. It would probably be the prettiest steak ever, too, and very user friendly. How would steak be user friendly, anyway?

Some other highlights from Apple...

• "Here's our BSD-based OS with a really well-designed user interface, but you can't install it on just any computer. You have to buy one of ours for a serious markup!"
  
• "Meet the iPhone. It has a fantastic user interface, but sorry, you can't use it to store files or take videos. Oh, and the camera has no zoom. We know the phone looks pretty, but we're going to restrict the hardware just because we're dicks!"
  
• "Check out the iPod. Guess what! No file storage. Only songs."
  
• "iTunes! We're going to sell you files with DRM on them so that you can only use an iPod or iTunes to listen to them."

This is a short list, and there are many many more issues. I just can't think of them through the fiery red haze clouding my thoughts.

What are the alternatives for somebody like me? Microsft "the Devil" and Linux "the raw contender." I have had enough of Apple's business practices. I had enough of Microsoft a long time ago, but that's for another time. Linux is free, at least. Ideologically, Linux is our friend. It just needs a bit of professional help to get to the masses. Ubuntu is a good start, but still falls a bit short. Fedora is becoming Microsoft. Slackware is nowhere near ready. I haven't seen hide nor hair of Mandriva or Suse in a long time.

If I could just get my own operating system going...