Apple’s Latest iPhone: Sleeker Walls, Same Garden

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Purism

Beautiful, Secure, Privacy-Respecting Laptops, Tablets, PCs, and Phones

Latest posts by Purism (see all)

• Apple’s Latest iPhone: Sleeker Walls, Same Garden - September 10, 2025
• Mousai App Now Available - September 9, 2025
• California’s New Privacy Rules Are a National Signal - September 7, 2025

Yesterday, Apple unveiled the latest iPhone lineup adding an iPhone Air — described by them as their thinnest, lightest yet. The headlines were predictable fanfare while missing the larger points.

If you care about privacy, you’ve seen this movie before: You’re still buying into a closed ecosystem where you are locked into Apple’s business model, not protecting your rights.

The Walled Garden: Polished, Profitable, and Controlling

Apple’s “walled garden” is often framed as a virtue — a curated, tightly controlled environment where everything works together as long as you don’t leave Apple. But that curation comes at a cost: your ability to decide what runs on your device, how it runs, and who gets access to your data.

Here’s how the model works — and why it’s fundamentally at odds with true privacy:

• App Store Monopoly
  Every app you install must pass through Apple’s gatekeeping control. That means Apple decides what software you can run, under what terms, and with what business model. Privacy‑protecting apps that bypass Apple’s monetization rules often face rejection or removal.
• Proprietary OS
  iOS is non-freedom respecting. You cannot inspect it for hidden telemetry, backdoors, nor undisclosed data flows. You must trust Apple’s word — and Apple’s incentives are not aligned with yours.
• Cloud‑First Defaults
  iCloud is deeply integrated and difficult to avoid. Backups, photos, and documents are pushed to Apple’s servers by default, where they are subject to legal demands, policy changes, and potential breaches.
• Hardware‑Level Lock‑In
  From soldered eSIM‑only models to proprietary connectors and parts pairing, Apple designs hardware to keep you inside its ecosystem. Even repairs are tightly controlled, with software locks that can disable features if you go outside Apple’s authorized channels.
• Ecosystem Surveillance by Design
  While Apple markets “on‑device intelligence,” many features still rely on cloud processing, and the company retains the ability to push silent updates to your device — without your consent or visibility into what’s changed.

The result is a device that pretends to be personal but is, in reality, leased to you under Apple’s terms. You hold it, you pay for it, but you do not truly own it. The Terms of Service (TOS) and the End User License Agreement (EULA) are all in Apple’s favor; not the end-user.

The Illusion of Privacy

Apple has mastered the art of conflating data minimization with data sovereignty. Yes, they encrypt iMessages but control the keys. Yes, they tout on‑device processing for certain AI features but monitor it all. The core architecture remains:

• You cannot verify what you cannot see.
• You cannot opt out of what’s baked in.
• You cannot separate the device from the business model.

Apple’s privacy pitch is about limiting data collection but fully for themselves — not about eliminating it or giving you full control. That’s a crucial distinction.

Purism SPC: Privacy as a Non‑Negotiable

Purism, as a Social Purpose Corporation, bakes privacy into its corporate DNA — not as a feature, but as a binding legal obligation. That’s not marketing copy; it’s in the articles of incorporation.

Purism’s approach is not about “trust us” — it’s about don’t trust, verify. Every layer, from hardware to OS to services, is designed to be inspectable, modifiable, and free from hidden data extraction.

Control vs. Convenience: The Real Choice

Apple controls you. Purism frees you.

Apple announced yet another Apple device which is not anything different from what they have ever launched; you’re comfortable with the convenience at the cost of your entire digital life.

Purism on the other hand provides you the freedom to control your technology.

Your Digital Rights Matter

Purism’s bet is that more people will choose to control their own technology as they understand the stakes. Privacy isn’t a feature you toggle in Settings; it’s an architecture, a supply chain, and a corporate mission.

If you want a phone that serves you, not the platform owner, you need to step outside the garden.

Purism Products and Availability Chart

	Model	Status	Lead Time
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	Librem 14	Out of stock	New Version in Development	Coming Soon
	Librem Mini	Out of stock	New Version in Development	Coming Soon
	Librem Server	In Stock ($2,999+)	45 business days	Learn More Buy Now
	Librem PQC Encryptor	Available Now, contact sales@puri.sm	90 business days	Learn More Contact Us
	Librem PQC Comms Server	Available Now, contact sales@puri.sm	90 business days	Learn More Contact Us