And the 2012 award for most egregious use of a proprietary interface goes to...

[CityK]

Samsung .... though it could easily go to Apple, but hey, they likely would've won for about eight years in a row if there really were such a thing....I also note that Asus gets an honorable mention/runner up too

Anyway, I could easily choose Samsung for ruining their tablets by not adding USB and HDMI ports ... because we know every Samsung customer apparently just loves purchasing separate proprietary dongles just to use those basic features ....
But the real reason why I have choosen Samsung is for their apparent design of the GS3 to require an all new MHL adapter ....Yeah that's right -- the one for the GS2 won't work with the GS3! ... Way to keep the spirit of uniform standardization down Sammy! :beer:

 

[Chewy509]

I'm glad I'm not the only one with a dislike for sammy and their phones/tablets...

 

[time]

MHL on the S3 uses 11 pins instead of 5. There's speculation is that changes might have been to achieve compatibility with Sony's Mirrorlink, or even the new MHL 2.0. Although it's mainly Samsung's and Sony's platform, MHL is not a proprietary interface.

In any case, Samsung is offering a $10 'tip' for the legacy HDMI adapter. That definitely doesn't sound like Apple!

 

[Mercutio]

My biggest problem with Samsung devices is with Touchwiz. I don't really mind the goofy connector. At least it's easy to identify from the mass of other weird charging tips I have.

 

[CityK]

MHL is not a proprietary interface.

Which is precisely the point

In any case, Samsung is offering a $10 'tip' for the legacy HDMI adapter.

LOL -- yes, of course they are -- something which should probably be rebranded as the "accessory sales ledger multiplier"

That definitely doesn't sound like Apple!

Meh, Apple, in all its goodness, gives out free cases ... I'd of thought more highly of Samsung if they initiated a mail in swap program (send in your old, get back a new adapter in its place)

 

[time]

If you think they can make a profit out of shipping a $10 part, you're living in cloud cuckoo land.

Apple gave out cases to fend off potentially massive lawsuits regarding their product's fitness for purpose. Where's the commonality?

One option would have been to ship either the tip or the whole adapter with every phone, but why the hell should they do that when very few customers will use this feature? I'll concede they could have discounted the adapter, but again, why should they when their main competitor, with a profit margin several times greater, sees fit to gouge their victims for absolutely everything imaginable? If you want competition in the phone marketplace, someone other than Apple has to make a buck. I don't begrudge HTC or Samsung's efforts.

 

[Howell]

I do not think a marketplace marked by competitive gouging is a good thing.

 

[time]

As someone who financially supports Apple's business model, don't you feel just a teensy bit hypocritical?

 

[Howell]

I don't accept the characterisation of gouging. I accept that there are people out there who willingly pay the requested price for the device offered.

So based on your characterisation, you are saying one good gouging deserves another. Or gouge if you have to to keep up?

 

[time]

I do not think a marketplace marked by competitive gouging is a good thing.

I don't accept the characterisation of gouging.

You're not making sense.

I'm saying: it costs HTC and Samsung considerably more than Apple to make a phone (generally because they use more expensive hardware) and their profit margins are consequentially a small fraction of Apple's. On top of this, Apple makes huge margins on accessories. If HTC (in particular) and Samsung are going to survive, they need the super profits from accessories more than Apple does.

$30-40 for an adapter is unquestionably profitable, but "I accept that there are people out there who willingly pay the requested price for the device offered." So it is gouging, but a commercial necessity for firms without Apple's phone margins.

$10 is a quite reasonable price for the tip, and Samsung has clearly offered this so that in fact existing customers will not be gouged. Can you point to any comparable altruistic offering from Apple?

 

[LunarMist]

The prices are not unreasonable.