Elon Musk says he'll build his own smartphone if Apple and Google ban Twitter

[midian182]

WTF?! Twitter is going through a turbulent time right now, to say the least. But things could always get worse. One nightmarish—if unlikely—scenario is Apple and Google banning the app from their respective stores in response to the platform's reduced content moderation. Should the worst happen, owner Elon Musk has an extreme solution: create a brand-new phone.

Between firing half the company's staff and the verified account saga, Twitter boss Musk has been reinstating previously banned accounts, including Donald Trump, Kanye West, and Jordan Peterson—more are coming back this week. He's also been living up to his promise of making Twitter a bastion of free speech by taking a more relaxed approach to content moderation. Moreover, Musk is reportedly looking to monetize adult content on Twitter, making it akin to OnlyFans.

But what one person calls free speech, another will call a toxic cesspool. It's the latter image that has been scaring off advertisers, several of which have suspended ads on the platform since Musk took over. There are also concerns that if the content on Twitter becomes even more objectionable, the app could be kicked from the Google Play and Apple App stores.

Conservative podcaster Liz Wheeler asked if Musk should get around this potentially disastrous worst-case scenario by producing his own smartphone. "The man builds rockets to Mars, a silly little smartphone should be easy, right?" she asked. Wheeler tweeted a poll asking if people would be willing to buy such a phone. Just over 51% of the 130,161 participants voted yes; Wheeler had wrote that "Half the country would happily ditch the biased, snooping iPhone & Android."

Would you switch to a tELONphone? Vote yes or no with your best pun for a name below.

— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) November 25, 2022

Musk himself then joined the conversation. He wrote "I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone."

I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2022

Could Twitter really be banned from the app stores? It's not beyond the realms of possibilty, especially when it comes to Apple, whose safety-first guidelines prohibit apps containing "upsetting or offensive content."

In what could be another ominous sign for Twitter. Key Apple executive Phil Schiller recently deleted his account on the platform after Musk complained about Cupertino's fees, calling them a "hidden 30% tax on the internet."

The world's richest person certainly isn't lacking the resources to build his own phone, but creating a viable alternative to Android and Apple with mass appeal is no easy feat, no matter how many Twitter-loving, snooping-hating mobile users are out there.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/96783-elon-musk-hell-build-own-smartphone-if-apple.html

 

[Uncle Al]

Oh ... hmmm ..... I'd just call it Twit ...... you know, to name it after the users that would actually buy one ....

 

[VitalyT]

 

[captaincranky]

Conservative podcaster Liz Wheeler asked if Musk should get around this potentially disastrous worst-case scenario by producing his own smartphone. "The man builds rockets to Mars, a silly little smartphone should be easy, right?"

If Musk could "build rockets to mars", to hear him talk, he'd be there already..

As for a smartphone, why not just get Foxconn to build it for him, like everyone else?

Or better still, buy Foxconn.. Offer them three times what it's worth, they'll cave.

 

[hahahanoobs]

Why would anyone want a phone designed by a child?

 

[Theinsanegamer]

He should do it anyway, google and apple need some competition, MS isnt bringing Windows Phone back, and firefox mobile was a trashfire.

The market's plenty big enough.

Why would anyone want a phone designed by a child?

I can think of thousands of angry twitter children that would shell out for it to continue their twitter addiction.

 

[ZedRM]

That's not a bad idea. I'd consider a Tesla phone.

 

[m4a4]

Unless he's already got a phone in the works AND can get around Google's monopolistic stranglehold on the android phone market (they have pretty restrictive terms when it comes to manufacturers using "free" android), this sounds like a pretty dumb reaction.

It would be far more practical to push sideloading the Twitter app (people can get over the stigma against it, perpetuated by these billion dollar companies), and lobbying against Apple's appstore monopoly...

 

[Neatfeatguy]

I'm not sure if we should be concerned more about:

1) If people are willing to accept the fact that Google and Apple are controlling what they deem as acceptable for their customers by blocking Twitter and they continue to support these companies.


OR


2) If there are people that can't live without social media (in this situation, Twitter) so much that they would be willing to move away from Google and/or Apple so they can have a phone that caters to their social media addiction.

 

[Red34jfp]

It would be far more practical to push sideloading the Twitter app (people can get over the stigma against it, perpetuated by these billion dollar companies), and lobbying against Apple's appstore monopoly...

Sideloading isn't practical, it might look like a minor hassle for tech junkies, but most people who own an Android phone have never used it. If Twitter were banned alternative platforms would get a significant boost simply from being available on the Play/Apple Store.

That said, for now even Trump's Truth Social is available on both stores, if Twitter doesn't go full retard it should be fine. But things might change as we get closer to the 2024 elections, considering how these bans are largely politically motivated.

 

[m4a4]

Sideloading isn't practical, it might look like a minor hassle for tech junkies, but most people who own an Android phone have never used it. If Twitter were banned alternative platforms would get a significant boost simply from being available on the Play/Apple Store.

That said, for now even Trump's Truth Social is available on both stores, if Twitter doesn't go full retard it should be fine. But things might change as we get closer to the 2024 elections, considering how these bans are largely politically motivated.

I'm sure that with Elon's following, he can popularize it (if that's a good or bad thing). But a new phone just to get Twitter installed doesn't sound like a better option at all.

And I'm sure there will be some convenient "crackdowns" close enough to elections. They just need to make it look convenient enough so people can easily spin it either way.
That said, it would only affect users that don't have it on their phones already...

 

[Ohnooze]

I would buy it just because apple and google were being dbags about it.

How could they justify not allowing the Twitter app on their store? If Twitter is cesspool and you don't like it then don't use it. If you don't like that Trump can use it then stay off of it. No one is forced to use Twitter. I don't use it at all but some people love a good cesspool so why would you restrict them from having the option? Oh....yeah....virtue signaling. Something Google is extremely good at. Pretending like they care because it benefits their business.

 

[bviktor]

He should do it anyway, google and apple need some competition, MS isnt bringing Windows Phone back, and firefox mobile was a trashfire.

The market's plenty big enough.

I can think of thousands of angry twitter children that would shell out for it to continue their twitter addiction.

It's quite the contrary, the market is completely saturated, and actually shrinking, there's absolutely no room for another player.

 

[GoldenGoat]

I think it would be great to have another option for phones. It would probably be very difficult to accomplish though. Even Microsoft couldn't do it. I think if he was going to make a phone, it would make sense to start a new company rather than have a Twitter or Tesla phone. That way if it doesn't work out it won't crush those companies that are already established.

 

[Ohnooze]

It's quite the contrary, the market is completely saturated, and actually shrinking, there's absolutely no room for another player.

I don't know. The only big players are Apple, Samsung and Google since LG has dropped out. I think there is room but start up would be tough.

 

[RudyBob]

This is funny. Apple and Google are against bullying...Just ask them

 

[netman]

PiFone...!

 

[seeprime]

He should do it anyway, google and apple need some competition, MS isnt bringing Windows Phone back, and firefox mobile was a trashfire.

The market's plenty big enough.

I can think of thousands of angry twitter children that would shell out for it to continue their twitter addiction.

I'd really like Microsoft to sell him the rights to Windows Phone. Could he make it work or would Musk strangle it even further.

 

[Raytrace3D]

Oh ... hmmm ..... I'd just call it Twit ...... you know, to name it after the users that would actually buy one ....

You sir, get a gold star! Perfect!

 

[Ohnooze]

You sir, get a gold star! Perfect!

Why? No one knows what that phone would be. What if it blew Apple and google out of the water?
Why would you call someone a "twit" for buying a phone before you knew the quality of said phone?
No logic in that view.

 

[wiyosaya]

If anyone thinks that Twit phone would spy on you less, I'm willing to sell you the Gravina Island Bridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravina_Island_Bridge

 

[mrtraver]

The hardware is the easy part. The hard part is the OS, infrastructure, and app stores. I guess if there are Twits willing to give up literally everything else a smartphone can run to have just Twitter, they get what they deserve.

 

[Pensiveclown]

That's not a bad idea. I'd consider a Tesla phone.

If it's anything llike tesla cars, it would be:
1) Poorly made
2) Unreliable
3) Ridiculously overpriced
4) Impractical
5) Nothing more than a fashion statement
6) Subject to the whims of an egotistical maniac

 

[Ohnooze]

If it's anything llike tesla cars, it would be:
1) Poorly made
2) Unreliable
3) Ridiculously overpriced
4) Impractical
5) Nothing more than a fashion statement
6) Subject to the whims of an egotistical maniac

lol...
Elon should have stayed a democrat then this list would have been something like....
1) Well made
2) Reliable
3) Reasonably priced
4) Practical
5) More than a fashion statement
6) Made by a genius!

It's interesting how once he stared speaking out about free speech and voting republican everyone started trashing him. Before it was all about how he was helping the environment and progress. Now he's just the devil. Funny how that works.

 

[captaincranky]

Moreover, Musk is reportedly looking to monetize adult content on Twitter, making it akin to OnlyFans.

It will be interesting to see how that works out. Anything I've seen from "Only fans", is subpar from that of the major studios. At this point, I think even Russia and Ukraine are running out of truly good looking women to recruit.

Couple that with an abundance of free porn on the web, (much to the chagrin of copyright holders). At this point, if you wanted to download all of it, you'd need a rack server, with mucho many big, big, HDDs.

So y'all being familiar with my "admiration" for Musk, Id say, "good luck with that".

I'm wondering when my admiration for Mr. Musk will blossom to the point where I imagine myself to be on a first name basis with "Elon".