Why does Apple prefer to be "non-standard"?

Layback Bear said:

I think that one must remember that Apple is a status symbol.
Their are always those that will pay more for a product with a status symbol whether it's a better product or not.
Kind of like a Gucci purse. It doesn't have to be better. All it has to do is have a Gucci name on it.

I must have many friends in low places for I know no one who has an apple computer.
In all my years of computer support I think I installed a printer on an apple for someone ONCE.
I guess they are the very silent minority. Seen any Mac's in large corporations? I can't find most
recent numbers but M$ is closer to 90% usage compared to 8-20% Mac usage. As for iPhones,
I'll take a Droid any day. As Lewis Black (comedian)says, he took his iPhone in an Apple store and asked
if they had an app that would turn his piece of **** into a phone. You gotta see it.

ThrashZone said:

I'm sure one day M$ will also insist on users getting everything from the M$ app store.

To some extent, they're already doing it. Tablet programs for Windows 8/10 are delivered entirely though the store, and real MS tablets only allow programs downloaded though MS. The whole store thing is an exact copy of Apple, in fact, including the very same ridiculous restrictions.

ThrashZone said:

You can pretty much expect it for mobile devices Android included,
It is completely different for an os as we once knew it to be
Linux isn't any different you must use the software manager in most cases.

Android is not that restrictive. It has an option (enabled by default) that only allows Google Play programs, but can be disabled at any time. Then if you drop any .apk it will happily install and run it, no matter the source.
Linux also has this kind of "market" too, but also optional, it will again run any binary you put in there, just like Windows does (and on both things, you can just compile software right there).

iOS on the other hand, and Windows Phone as long as I know, restrict to store programs, forcing the user to jailbreak the device to run any thing they like. Windows 8 "metro" tablet programs are also artificially limited to the Windows Store, you can just go to the developer site and download the .exe.

Not to mention the limitations this puts on developers too. To upload any program to one of those proprietary markets, you must pay a fee to Apple/Microsoft to even start testing on a real phone. This effectively hinders innovation by independent people and small firms and limits the platforms to bigger companies only.