I open this post with a screengrab of a tweet from @chrispirillo:

Let me begin by saying that I don't own a smartphone- I don't have to money to pay for one each month, and I have certain disagreements with the carriers here in America that generally keep me away (but that is for another blog post entirely). I've played around with iOS a few times, given a couple Android devices a good once-over, but I am neither a friend or foe to either platform. Moral of this story: I am not a "Fandroid," and Google+ is not a "Fandroid" platform.

But, yes, we are pissed.

Why? Apple's not being a very friendly competitor. This time, in particular, they're on a rampage to try and stop Samsung and various other manufacturers from being able to sell their devices. Over the weekend they were awarded an injunction that forces Samsung to halt sales of its new, Google-anointed Nexus phone in the U.S. That's just one of several grievances against Apple in just recent news. For instance:

Taken from the first CNET article: "'It's no coincidence that Samsung's latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,' Apple said in an e-mailed statement. 'This kind of blatant copying is wrong and, as we've said many times before, we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.'"

Wait a second... something sounds a little off:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU]

Why Am I Upset?

Apple is applying for abstract patents, that essentially apply to all types of mobile and desktop operating systems and devices, in an effort to build up a huge patent portfolio in an attempt to stop other companies from producing and selling competing products.

Software patents are terrible, no good, dirty, rotten things. They only stifle innovation, destroy competition, and promote generally negative and destructive behaviors. Companies, Apple in particular, want to build up as much intellectual property as they can.

Not only does this hurt business, hurt consumers, and essentially kill off any competition, thereby affording Apple a near Monopoly, but it really kills innovation. With people sharing ideas, working together, and building off of one another, we progress as a society, and really neat products and ideas come forward. Instead, we have a system where companies can't afford to innovate. Just let Apple call the shots, put a price tag on it, and let Apple fans line up to buy it in droves.

Don't get me wrong, I love Apple products. But I love sharing. I love openness, and goodwill, and a productive, imaginative attitude. I love a perspective of "let's all get together, approach these problems with our own solutions, build upon the ideas of one another, and compete in a fair and free marketplace."

Instead, Apple prefers to bully others into either submission or extinction.

Just Apple?

No, Apple's not the only company doing this. I know what you're saying: What's the point? Can a boycott do anything? Will it even be a blip on the radar?

First off, let me be clear: boycotting a single company isn't fighting a disease, it's fighting a symptom. 

And will any potential boycott do anything? Probably not. Apple probably won't feel a thing, and there probably won't even be one in the first place. I would be surprised to see anything come out of this.

But I'll be darned if I won't at least try. I'm not saying to sell all your Apple gear and take to the streets. I'm saying that, as we move forward, let's consciously think about what we are voting for with our dollars.

As Malcolm Reynolds once said, and I'm paraphrasing, "I was on the losing side; I'm still not convinced it was the wrong one." I will always stand with openness and innovation. I don't believe that you can own ideas: they belong to everyone.

Apple will never be the company that I want to see. And, for that reason, I will keep my distance as much as possible with it. Because, at the end, of the day, they violate one of my only two rules to live by, and Wil Wheaton sums it up best: