[photon]

The problem isn't that Apple makes software for their hardware, it's that it's supposedly illegal for you to do what you want with that software AFTER you buy said software. I'm not advocating compelling Apple to offer it through clones, though IMO that would be one way for Apple to truly compete with Microsoft.

So for your examples, if you wanted to put a toyota engine in your ford you totally could and it wouldn't be illegal, but if Toyota was doing what Apple does and putting an EULA on their engine, it WOULD be illegal. That's obviously stupid.

(You can install TomTom software on other GPS devices, smartphones and stuff anyway)

And what if someone came up with a Wii emulator that could run Wii games and sold that software for $75 so people could play Wii games on their computers.. should that be illegal? I don't think so, after I buy my Wii game it should be mine to do with as I see fit. Maybe Nintendo should then buy that company, or develop their own software, innovate to compete rather than use the laws as a blunt object to beat the competition off.

It comes down to how much protection should companies have, I would argue that too much protection discourages companies from innovating because they don't have to; they can sit back under the laws which give them ongoing rights to everything you buy from them to the point that you really don't own it, you just have permission to use it while they deem it ok. They could patch my Wii to make all current Wii games unplayable, and I'd have no recourse.

So rather than innovate, they spend their time enforcing EULAs and using the DMCA to crush anyone who does want to innovate.