Apple’s ad network gets ‘preferential access to users’ data’ vs Facebook, Google

I had a very brief stint working on mobile ads in 2011, so I have some vague familiarity with the sausage factory and its implications for user privacy on mobile devices, and this is par for the course for Apple. A big part of their marketing strategy is duping people into thinking they're pro-user, when they're one of the most aggressively anti-user companies I can think of. What's really impressive is how successful the reality distortion field has been in nominally technical fora (HN included, though it's gotten much better in the last few years).

I wish anyone, anyone else would make competing operating systems & accompanying software suites that performed as well and required as little unproductive horseshit to keep working properly, and in fact worked as hard to make my life easier through useful integrations (little things, like auto-fill auth code from a text message—god, so nice).

I don't like them but any time I use something else I feel like I've made a big mistake, saving a little money at the cost of a ton of time. I didn't realize how much time I burned screwing with bad operating systems until I became a Mac, and later iOS, user. Please, someone compete with them. Anyone. Please. I don't want to be stuck with only one option for non-shit computing.

[EDIT] example: my dad gets a Chromebook. Great, these things are mostly aimed at non-tech folks, kids, and old people. And it's a relatively "small" OS in terms of what it does. Surely when I go to set it up for him I'll find it has accessibility features a least close to the quality of Mac and iOS. LOL nope, they suck. Seriously, I'm begging anyone out there who wants to try to compete with Apple, do it. Please. No-one is.