Why are smart phones so locked down?
If my laptop has an issue, I can easily easily view some system logs and the system files to try and detect the problem. If a piece of hardware starts malfunctioning, at best I can install a new driver to fix the problem, and at worst I can simply uninstall the original driver to stop the device from causing harm.
On a laptop, I can easily format my hard disk and install Windows, or Linux, or even attempt a Hackintosh.
On a smart phone, I have a very limited sandbox and can’t do any of that. If I try to root/jailbreak my phone to get a higher level of control over my device, I likely void the warranty and have a non-zero chance of completely bricking the phone.
It’s very hard to get a laptop to a point where you just have to consider throwing it away, but it’s oh-so-easy with a smart phone.
And all because they want to lock it down. Why?
Just because the vendors want to try to force you into using their app marketplace?
The current state of the smart phone saddens me. It’s a device that essentially just functions to allow consumption with very little creation.
It didn’t have to be this way.
P.S. I'm late to the party, but I recently got a twitter account that you can follow here.