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Comment by brokencode | Hacker News Reader

Or maybe they’re doing it because Starlink is by far the best and fastest growing satellite internet network in the world?

I dislike Elon Musk as much as the next guy, but right now, SpaceX is really the only game in town for anything space related.

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Satellite access is not a requirement though for phones. So one could just take a moral stand and not give money to Musk.

It's not like satellite access is some major feature people are clamoring for or that competitors are using to outsell Apple. It's a niche use case, and Apple is basically using its power to advertise for Starlink much more than depending on them.

Speaking about what people "need" is a scary step.

Soon you have environmentalists asking whether you "need" a 4k TV, or a personal computer, "need" a washing machine, a refrigerator, etc.

If people don't want it, they won't pay for it. That is the beauty of the free market.

> Soon you have environmentalists asking whether you "need" a 4k TV, or a personal computer, "need" a washing machine, a refrigerator, etc.

This is a good example of the slippery slope fallacy.

The slippery slope is a legitimate risk consideration as often as it’s a fallacy.

We already have laws about toilet flow rates and lighting types in the US, and other countries have more.

Sadly it isn't a fallacy at all, academic degrowthers in Europe (yes, degrowth can be studied at university in Europe!) have proposed de-incentivising the use of washing machines: https://x.com/ziontree/status/1837034922105516391

The slippery slope is only a fallacy if you assume dogmatic priors, otherwise it is simple Bayesian updating.

People can also chose not to give money to a fascist trying to bring other fascists to power. As an American company, Apple should see that they have a moral duty to not pump money into the fascist.

How about not paying taxes too.

That's a different matter. Breaking the law (especially tax law, where the government can easily just take what it wants) is different from simply not going into business with someone.

Apple has already gone into business with T-Mobile.

This is a continuation of the efforts.

Originally this was meant to be an Apple exclusive offer but Apple chose globalstar which launches with Apple.

How privileged do you need to be to think that everyone and every place has strong cell phone coverage.

I'm not, and I don't think that. I just know that, a, the entire cell phone market has existed and been massive for decades now without satellite phones; and that, b, SpaceX has very very little satellite-LTE connectivity, and is not adding it very quickly.

ever heard of 'innovation'?

Just because A existed without B in the past, doesn't mean B is useless.

Musk is showing more and more that he is a fascist willing and able to invest in other fascists to help bring them to power. I would see preventing that as much more important than innovation.

In all seriousness your world view is pretty dark, maybe get outside more?

Honestly, if the world isn't looking pretty dark to you right now, I think you're the one who needs to go outside a little bit more. Especially since this drift into right wing extremism can still be stopped, both in the USA and in Europe, but only for a few more years.

Okay? I walked to the supermarket. Nothing changed. I drove to the border and went hiking. Nothing changed. Now what?

No rebuttal, that's what I thought.

Not adding very quickly?

SpaceX went from first launch to service in ~ a year

The LTE service is progressing much more slowly.

There's competitors. The regular service is also progressing slower than originally planned.

They are moving faster than the competition though

The partner here is T-Mobile not SpaceX.

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