Which is less evil? Google vs Apple

thurrott readers are a smart bunch, I want to know which company do you think is less evil, Google or Apple? My opinion: Apple is more evil than Google. Apple somehow gets away with a lot though…

Conversation 22 comments

  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    23 March, 2019 - 5:53 pm

    <p>They’re all evil. That’s designed into American capitalism.</p><p><br></p><p>Id take Apple over El Goog for one gigantic reason: You’re the customer and they’re salesmen. You know Apple’s motive, instead of the opposite where you’re the resource and unknown third parties are the customers.</p>

  • Travelrobert

    Premium Member
    23 March, 2019 - 7:02 pm

    <p>Okay, let's play. Apple is by far less evil. </p><p><br></p><p>Apple is a cult that lures their followers with shiny objects and bold personalities. However, they do deliver on their promise. Their congregation might not always know they have paid overprice for hardware that is not top three in any technical category. But they have stuff that works, that works easily, and that works well together.</p><p><br></p><p>Google on the other hand is in the business of selling your attention to companies. To me that's enough said. Anything they do is to be able to give more of your attention to adds. </p><p><br></p><p>Case closed as far as I'm concerned!</p>

  • Bdsrev

    23 March, 2019 - 7:49 pm

    <p>Both are indeed evil, but Apple is clearly more evil than Google. They get away with murder (not literally, obviously)</p>

  • Vladimir Carli

    Premium Member
    23 March, 2019 - 8:13 pm

    <p>all giant corporations are evil by definition. Between the two, the main difference is that for Apple we are the customer, for google we are the merchandise that they sell. I prefer the former…</p><p>V.</p>

    • karlinhigh

      Premium Member
      23 March, 2019 - 11:18 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#414998"><em>In reply to Vladimir:</em></a><em> all giant corporations are evil by definition</em></blockquote><p>In my retail business, I see political liberals who trust big government agencies more than big corporations.</p><p>And, I see political conservatives who trust big corporations more than big government agencies.</p><p>I've often wondered what makes the difference.</p>

  • locust infested orchard inc

    23 March, 2019 - 8:32 pm

    <p>It's unlike me to be brief, particularly with a topic of considerable debate with both companies to a large extent driving our daily lives.</p><p><br></p><p>In a nutshell, Google is the most sinister of them all, with its ability to make billions of people believe it offers its services, to a vast extent for free, as a philanthropic gesture to empower all with their technology, whilst in pursuit of a data heist on an unprecedented scale upon all its unsuspecting users. This is just one of a multitude of reasons why Google is the king of the doers of evil.</p><p><br></p><p>As one Thurrott member commented this week that Google managed to pull off the unimaginable, by selling the name of its mobile OS to billions of people as 'Android', in spite of sounding "creepy". I entirely agree. This exemplifies Google's stranglehold upon all of us, as the masses believe Google is a force of good that does no evil. Nothing could be further from the realities on the ground.</p><p><br></p><p>Put simply – Google is the big satan, whilst Apple is the little satan.</p>

    • karlinhigh

      Premium Member
      23 March, 2019 - 11:20 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#415002"><em>In reply to locust infested orchard inc:</em></a><em> Put simply – Google is the big satan, whilst Apple is the little satan.</em></blockquote><p>Then where does Facebook rank?</p><p><br></p><p>Android name: cute little green robot image probably went a long way towards acceptance.</p>

      • locust infested orchard inc

        24 March, 2019 - 8:16 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#415023">In reply to karlinhigh:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>In my opinion, if a list were to be compiled and named the 'Corporate Evil Charts Top 40', Fakebook would sit unchanged at number 2, with Google maintaining the top spot for at least the last 260 weeks.</p><p><br></p><p>I personally don't see the 'little green robot' Android logo as cute, rather I sense the feeling of control freakery emanating from the robot, which uncoincidently is exactly what Google does.</p>

  • Tiny

    Premium Member
    23 March, 2019 - 8:53 pm

    <p>I guess I must be using a different dictionary than most. I don't think either is necessarily "evil." This is kind of like the old joke, "Do you still beat your wife?"</p><p><br></p><p>evil</p><p>adjective</p><p><a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/evil&quot; target="_blank">°</a>Intending to harm; malevolent.</p><p>°Morally corrupt.</p><p>noun</p><p>°The forces/behaviors that are the opposite or enemy of good. Evil generally seeks own benefit at the expense of others and is based on general malevolence.</p><p>°Any particular individual or state which may follow these forces or behaviors.</p><p>synonyms: nefarious, malicious, malevolent</p>

    • AnOldAmigaUser

      Premium Member
      25 March, 2019 - 12:03 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#415004">In reply to Tiny:</a></em></blockquote><p>Intending to harm; malevolent…probably not.</p><p>Morally corrupt…probably. We all know the oxymoron of business ethics.</p>

  • lethalleigh

    23 March, 2019 - 9:49 pm

    <p>They're all evil to some degree and that also includes MS and Amazon.</p><p><br></p><p>Their bottom line is all that matters for them. Given that fact, it's inevitable they will stray from time to time. </p>

  • minke

    24 March, 2019 - 7:46 am

    <p>Neither is "evil." They both exist to make money–lots of it. I don't buy the idea that Google is nefariously using private information without the knowledge of its users. The bargain has been clear since the beginning–free, useful stuff in exchange for seeing targeted advertising. It's the formula that powers much of the Internet we all use and enjoy. Apple does the exact same thing with the data it does collect, but also sells a lot more hardware. Both companies have done a pretty good job of protecting the data of billions of people, in stark comparison to say Facebook. What about Microsoft? They also collect a ton of information, sell a ton of hardware, have a search engine that collects information, etc. Does that make them double the evil since they are heavily into the arenas of both Apple and Google? Compared to many large corporations the tech giants try to do a lot of good too. They treat their employees really well compared to almost any other sector, they often strive towards carbon neutral energy use, they provide tons of charitable programs to their communities, etc. No, they are not perfect, but these companies are made up of many individuals–they are not monolithic "evil" entities.</p>

    • jedwards87

      24 March, 2019 - 9:29 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#415034">In reply to Minke:</a></em></blockquote><p>Apple does not do the exact same thing with your data as Google does.</p>

      • minke

        24 March, 2019 - 1:44 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#415042">In reply to jedwards87:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yes, Apple does use the data it collects to target advertising to you. It may not collect as much data as Google or the same data, but it uses the data in the exact same manner. All companies do this, including many you do not even realize are in the business of doing so. Your bank is probably selling your personal information, as is your supermarket, your Internet service provider, your phone service, and the Post Office too. Remember, Apple takes billions of dollars from Google to allow Google's search engine to be the default on Apple products. In other words, they are selling your privacy to Google. It makes the modern world go around, for better or for worse.</p>

  • jedwards87

    24 March, 2019 - 9:28 am

    <p>How is this even a question ? You may not like Apple but do not let your hate cloud your judgement. Apple sells hardware. Google sells "you". That right there is enough to let you know who is more evil. Not to mention look how many times Google has been caught doing something wrong. One of the latest big ones was acting like they forgot they put a microphone in their Nest security system. Come on. I would rather pay a little more to be Apple's customer than to pay nothing and be Google's product.</p>

  • christian.hvid

    24 March, 2019 - 9:52 am

    <p>So in a world where companies like Monsanto, Philip Morris, Nestlé, DuPont and Exxon Mobil exist, we're supposed to debate whether Apple or Google is more evil…? </p>

  • jules_wombat

    24 March, 2019 - 9:54 am

    <p>Neither is evil, that's a pretty stupid adjective to apply. They are just successful business models based either upon great consumer branding and design or great advertising models. Similarly for Amazon and Facebook. This is all the American way advertising and globalisation. China is investing more into AI and quantum technologies than the US, so we should perhaps be more aware of our future technologies being dominated by Chinese technologies. </p>

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