Why doesn’t anyone complain about the iphone and ipad
locking people out of choices?
People vote with their checkbooks
If you don't like it, don't buy the things
The vast majority of users just want a box that works
Some like to tinker, this is good also,
but the majority don't.
Apple has been a niche player for a long time
They have been very successful at this.
They also, in their boxes,
have been open to other operating systems
The iPad and iPhone are SOC systems
System on Chip
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_A4
so the system is on the chip, and is a hardware feature
If they can make BIOS that is changeable, they can make SOC changeable also.