Tim,
I must say this is why I enjoy this site so much. You may have a view that I disagree with, but you are willing to listen to the arguments and be level-headed about it. You also, as you state, don't use the "banhammer" or delete button on posts that are contrary to your view.
I do not own any of these devices with the cloud ability - but I can certainly say I would prefer to have my own connection to the device and not have to sign up on someone else's servers.
As for monitoring my activity - sure, it's certainly possible. But as you stated, is there proof? And what does the privacy policy say?
One thing I can attest to is the "dummification" of society as a whole lately - everyone wants something that works, and doesn't really care about the technology behind it. Apple has thrived on it, and other companies are eager to get a piece of that pie.
I remember when I was in school I prided myself on learning how to do networking and run routers. I WANTED the complexity after I learned how to use it. The difference between today and those days was the fact that I had an interest in how something worked so that I could fix it and modify it to my needs, within reason. Today, people don't CARE how things work - they just want them to.
Anyway, just saying thanks for being at least entertaining to the ideas of others, even if sometimes you take flak for it. This forum is by far one of the best forums I've ever been to. If anyone doubts that, go take a look at some of the Apple rumor sites and see how they ban anyone not pro-Apple, even if you have a valid point and are not being an instigator.
