As far as public diatribes go, it seems unprecedented and no-holds-barred.
Messaging platform Telegram, which has no love lost for Apple, tore into the Cupertino-headquartered company, calling it "totalitarian", and one that "often choose profits over freedoms".
Telegram founder Paul Durov, in his public Telegram channel, said: "Apple is very efficient at pursuing their business model, which is based on selling overpriced, obsolete hardware to customers locked in their ecosystem."
Durov's comments were made in the light of a The New York Times expose on Apple's relationship with China.
"The New York Times uncovered that Apple is involved in large-scale surveillance and censorship at the behest of China. It is sad, but not surprising: big tech companies often choose profits over freedoms," he added.
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"Apple users are digital slaves"
Durov did not stop with criticising Apple. He termed Apple users as "digital slaves".
"The worst part of Apple’s tech though is not clunkier devices or outdated hardware. Owning an iPhone makes you a digital slave of Apple – you are only allowed to use apps that Apple lets you install via their App Store, and you can only use Apple’s iCloud to natively back up your data."
Durov opined that every time he had to use an iPhone it is like being “thrown back into the Middle Ages”.
"Every time I have to use an iPhone to test our iOS app I feel like I’m thrown back into the Middle Ages. The iPhone’s 60Hz displays can’t compete with the 120Hz displays of modern Android phones that support much smoother animations."
Durov's tirade did not stop at that. He ended his slamming, saying: "It’s no wonder that Apple’s totalitarian approach is so appreciated by the Communist Party of China, which – thanks to Apple – now has complete control over the apps and data of all its citizens who rely on iPhones."
Telegram's uneasy relationship with Apple
In a sense, it is not too surprising to see Telegram founder fulminate against Apple. It may be recalled that in 2018, Apple pulled the app from its platforms over concerns surrounding the distribution of child pornography on the platform. In 2020, Telegram opened a complaint against Apple with the European Commission over antitrust concerns.
In January, the Coalition for a Safer Web sued Apple for failing to follow its own App Store rules by hosting Telegram. The group said that Telegram is allegedly being used by hate groups and extremists.
