Thanks to all, I am glad I posted on the weekend so it did not take any valuable time away from linux stuff! I have to agree with the argument that although i don't trust anyone  really, (having been 20 in early 1970) i trust apple less than google, and i don't do anything that is illegal.  So basically everyone seems to back up the general view that  apple is not intrinsically better than google and if i really get geeky and paranoid i can go to cyanogenMod (really like that).  Am saving this whole list of answers to mete out to my son if he keeps on about the wonders of apple...heehee even though one can't even change their own battery on an iphone.

I feel that an open source community is an improvement on the commercial in a learning application. (At least that is the case in medicine (my area)  and would be a vast improvement for society in general). Open source is basically peer-reviewed technology.

sincere thanks to everyone who responded, confirming my initial thoughts !
here is an interesting new idea in photography for those looking beyond the current digital options, if you haven't seen it check out this camera; using technology developed at Stanford years ago, a light field camera ;  lytro I think it will be my next camera, and that very soon.

-- 
betty i.
www.webcanine.com
information for people 
who care for dogs.