> you bought the device, that you knew already did not provide that, from a company who has priced in not having to support rooted devices, and who had priced in your future revenue from extras.
This argument falls apart when 99% of the desirable devices do not have this option. It's not even about compromising on optional-but-important features, like having access to your bank - the "1%" devices usually do not even have a secure hardware element that handles full-disk encryption, leaving your most-personal data (that you carry with you everywhere you go, thus exposing it to additional risk) vulnerable.
> If you want a mostly-open handheld device, they're for sale, you should buy one of those.
Yeah, almost none of those are actually compelling. There's the Pixel series and GrapheneOS, but these devices are huuuge (they simply don't fit in my single hand!), and I don't want to give even more money to Google :S
In an ideal world, you should be able to simply root any of your devices on demand, in exchange for wiping the storage clean, losing your warranty, and any expectation of protection/privacy/extra features. Then it's up to you (and/or a third-party OS provider) to take care of that yourself.
The problem with that route is that only a tiny fraction of users are actually interested in that, there's value to lose in accidental rooting (users get angry about lost features), and there's no value to gain.
This argument falls apart when 99% of the desirable devices do not have this option. It's not even about compromising on optional-but-important features, like having access to your bank - the "1%" devices usually do not even have a secure hardware element that handles full-disk encryption, leaving your most-personal data (that you carry with you everywhere you go, thus exposing it to additional risk) vulnerable.
> If you want a mostly-open handheld device, they're for sale, you should buy one of those.
Yeah, almost none of those are actually compelling. There's the Pixel series and GrapheneOS, but these devices are huuuge (they simply don't fit in my single hand!), and I don't want to give even more money to Google :S
In an ideal world, you should be able to simply root any of your devices on demand, in exchange for wiping the storage clean, losing your warranty, and any expectation of protection/privacy/extra features. Then it's up to you (and/or a third-party OS provider) to take care of that yourself.
The problem with that route is that only a tiny fraction of users are actually interested in that, there's value to lose in accidental rooting (users get angry about lost features), and there's no value to gain.
This is where regulation could come in.