For years, Apple sold us the dream: a sleek walled garden where security, innovation, and user experience bloomed in harmony. But lately, the Apple orchard is rotting at the root. From damning internal emails to relentless developer suppression, the truth is clear: Apple doesn’t deserve our trust anymore.
1. The Words They Wish You’d Never Read The Epic v. Apple court case cracked open the vault of Cupertino’s secrets—and what spilled out wasn’t polished aluminum and minimalist virtue. It was contempt. Scorn. Raw greed. Here’s a taste: “We’re going to put the screws on developers.”
— Apple executive email revealed during litigation “The customer who paid for the app is not our customer. The developer is our customer.”
— Apple internal email, defining users as data points in a profit stream “We don’t want to give users choice.”
— Apple legal brief opposing sideloading and third-party payments These aren’t one-off mistakes. They’re core beliefs. They expose Apple’s true north: control, not creativity. Profit, not privacy. Monopoly, not marketplace.
2. The Developer Dungeon Apple loves to boast that it supports developers. But the reality? It's a pay-to-play cartel.
30% “Apple Tax” on in-app purchases—non-negotiable.
Threats and removals for apps that dare question the system.
Developers muzzled by NDAs and silenced in review processes.
Rejection reasons change like the wind—while Apple’s own apps get a free pass.
When Apple’s lawyers claimed in court that “the App Store is a safe, curated experience,” what they meant was: curated to serve them—not you.
3. Privacy as a Performance Apple wrapped itself in the cloak of privacy—bragging it was “doing the right thing.” But behind the curtain?
iCloud data still accessible to Apple (and law enforcement).
They track your app usage, your purchases, your clicks—then use that data to improve their own services and ad targeting.
They've weaponized privacy as a marketing stunt while quietly building their own data empire.
4. A Platform Built on Fear Trust is the foundation of any platform. But Apple rules by fear:
Developers fear retribution.
Users fear getting locked out of ecosystems they’ve invested thousands into.
Regulators fear taking on Big Tech’s most profitable juggernaut.
And Apple likes it that way. They make the rules. They change the rules. And you? You just pay.
5. Where We Go From Here Apple still makes beautiful devices. But beauty without integrity is a hollow shell. It’s time to:
Support antitrust efforts that challenge Apple’s iron grip.
Champion open platforms and sideloading rights.
Push for transparency in app review and App Store economics.
Hold Apple to its own standards—the ones it uses to sell dreams in keynote after keynote.
The illusion has shattered. The polished aluminum has corroded. Apple, you’ve lost our trust. And trust, once lost, doesn’t come back with a software update.
