Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, has slammed Apple calling it ‘totalitarian’ in response to a New York Times article, which reported that Apple was making concessions to China.
The Russian-born entrepreneur took to Telegram — which was later shared with Android Central — this week to say that Apple hardware is like something from the “Middle Ages”, is “appreciated by the Communist Party of China” and that all Apple iPhone users are “digital slaves.”
Apple slammed on Telegram
“Apple is very efficient at pursuing their business model, which is based on selling overpriced, obsolete hardware to customers locked in their ecosystem,” Durov wrote.
“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 hot take didn’t end there. He went on to call Apple’s devices clunky and posited the notion that anyone who owns an iPhone is 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,” he said. “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 of its citizens who rely on iPhones.”
Apple slagging aside, it’s been a good year for Durov. Following the changes to WhatsApp’s privacy policy, downloads of Telegram spiked in January and by the end of the month, the chat app boasted around 500 million users.