Each of these platforms' value propositions from earlier days was that some day it'd profit from its own controlled ecosystem. This is how they got investment. Apple and Nintendo in particular each held out a long time protecting the brand. There'd be no point in doing that if you're forced to support the competition anyway.

And in each of these markets, users have other options if they want full hardware control. Clearly it wasn't a priority for many of them.

So you can cheat against console players? Every device capable of doing computing doesn't need to be regulated as a general purpose computer.

Why? Why should every device that is capable be forced to be capable? This is such a wide held assumption in tech circles. Why is it not good enough that there are devices that allow that while other companies pursue a different business model? I do not see the upside of catering to techie’s entitlement to using every device as they see fit. I certainly see the downside of limiting what business models companies can purse. As as been pointed out it isn[t clear that companies like Nintendo would have been able to make what they have in that regime. And there’s no question that the trajectory of the iPhones would have been different as well.

It is so frustrating to constantly hear that a popular device should be forced to work a different way. The typical reasons given are inevitably tied up with piracy, porn, and techbro condescension revolving around how people should adapt their usage to accommodate their technical superiors. Why can’t people that demand that they should be able to do whatever they want on their device simply use the devices that allow that?

Game consoles are often used as examples of special-purpose computers, in contrast to general-purpose computers.

It's already perfect. Those game console-makers etc get to run their platforms the way they want, I get to choose what to buy, and I'm glad that this will probably never meaningfully change.

I'm not arguing they are, but they are free to make their point. We all change our tune when companies criticize and fight encryption backdoors.

A key component of fascist economies was that industries were completely captured by politicians and bound to perform the duties of the state. So I pretty strongly believe that companies providing feedback to politicians and the public about the impact of proposed laws is generally a good thing.

This is said as a lifelong Apple hater. I'm enjoying a bit of a popcorn moment here, but I also give them the right to bitch about it a little.

Yes, and more importantly, EU forcing Apple to do it is also dumb.