Here is the difference between what I would deem just criticism, and what Jimmy Wales did in his statement. He escalated the rhetoric beyond just criticism when he said what Apple was doing is dangerous, and then linked it to his chosen crusade, net neutrality. I absolutely agree with the concept of net neutrality when applied strictly to the Internet. However, the issue of net neutrality has absolutely nothing to do with Apple’s App Store policies, whatever anybody feels about them. The Internet is a world-wide infrastructure for information exchange and interaction. It is governed by standards bodies and involves international politics. The App Store is owned by Apple, a publically traded corporation, and as long as they aren’t breaking any laws, they are free to do with it as they wish. Apple’s board of directors and the free market will govern how the App Store operates.

The reason I called Mr Wales the Idiot of the Day (not an all around idiot, mind you. I’m sure he is quite intelligent. Even intelligent people do stupid things) is because he was pandering, and I despise pandering in politics and the media. It would be one thing if he didn’t know what he was doing or what he was talking about, but Mr Wales is obviously well informed on tech issues. He knew exactly what he was saying. He is also intelligent enough to know the implications of what he said. If the free market has spoken, and at close to 10 billion App Store downloads, I would say it has spoken very loudly, then the only other recourse against Apple would be legal. If Apple isn’t breaking any existing laws, and they aren’t a monopoly, then do we really want see increased government regulations infringing on the free market? I certainly don’t. However, I will freely admit that I am a Libertarian, at least when it comes to economic policy, so I naturally abhor excess beureacracy and regulation.

Anyway, this is the reason for my rant. In the future, I hope Mr Wales will stick to net neutrality and Internet issues where his beliefs on the freedom of information apply, and let consumers and Apple decide how the App Store should operate.