[snipenekkid]

BTW, not to single her out, but Maggie is one of those great users who offers cogent feeback from a competent perspective that us developers would typically be willing to sell our first born, even if they are 40 (heck ESPECIALLY if they are 40!! hahahaha), to obtain. I really mean this. Her feedback not only considers the business side for the companies she considers but also is stead fast in knowing and expressing her individual needs. Plus she is willing to consider other options which will always keep us small developers on our toes.

I only mention this to point out what, to me, is the real value in her comments here on MR. I remember when she first showed and how she completely won over by the iPod or iOS platform. Now if you consider her opinion over the whole content dust up, if she is one user then there are likely tens of thousands to millions of others world wide who will just quietly switch to other options without even mentioning a thing.

Look at how easily people switch phones, even the "smart phones" based solely on the cellular contract price. Start shrinking the already restrictive access to content on a device under the iOS platform running on devices better classed as mobile PC's not merely phones or video consumption devices, but shrink that very important ability to choose where, how and with what data people use their phones with the hammer of potentially losing access to already purchased data hanging over their head, even if that threat comes indirectly via the app attrition sue to a developer deciding to not continue supporting the platform because of Apple's sudden change of heart.

But just the hint that Apple can take away the $1000's people spent on content and few won't to be willing to just walk away from it. Kindle book users as well as B&N, etc all have options on other platforms. Add to that that it's not as if Apple can legally let you read Kindle content without Amazon's Kindle Reader app and as we have all discussed here, it could get dicey. I think this type of situation is being glossed over. Amazon, B&N and others are not powerless here. They, Amazon and other app developers, just need to explain to users that their apps were approved but due changes within Apple it will no longer be financially possible to continue supporting the iOS devices in future release. But that the reader app the users are losing within the iOS platform is and will continue to be fully supported as well as enhanced on all the other current non-iOS devices. They are sorry but it was Apple's sudden change in policy enforcement practices which forces, heck it completely prevents, from continuing to support the reader app as currently written for iOS devices even though the app was already approved as compliant by Apple's own all vetting process.

Consumers will likely not look at Amazon as the bad-guy here, some will for sure as this is a case of billionaires fighting over our pennies, but I am suspecting far more consumers or users like Maggie as well as myself and Buddy too, will look at Apple in a different light as we were actually won over by not just the design of the UI on the devices but we actually bought the Apple rhetoric that choosing Apple was always going to be the safe and easier option to the end user, Apple has our back sort of thing.

Now, suddenly the user sees this might not actually be the case. And from then on the user, even if they stay with the iOS platform, well have some degree of unease with their decision making future loyalty something they will re-evaluate when it comes time to update their devices.

Like others, I hope this settles not just to the total benefit of the user, since hey it was our money we spent, but also lets Apple realize, customer wise, they have moved outside the comfort zone of just their loyal core users who truly just love the Apple brand off into a place were people expect consistency and appreciation for deciding to buy into "the Apple way".