You're missing nothing. Other than the fact that we've systematically decided that the average person is too lay to actively care about privacy and interoperability, and thus we all have to embrace the Stockholm Syndrome of acting like iMessage is respectable, at all.
My friend sent me the Beeper Mini article the other week and said "Look, you can have blue bubbles now!". I immediately scoffed - even if it wasn't going to break in a few days, I will never lift a finger to support what Apple is doing with iMessage. Absolutely absurd, even more so absurd the way folks talk about it.
Same. I've been considering ways to do whatever (infinitesimally small) things I can to help change the culture around "blue bubbles." I love being a "green bubble."
Green bubbles are not just "a broke Android user" even though the Apple masses like to spread that image.
Green bubbles are a sign of a technological badass, a power user who does things with their devices that Big Gray doesn't think they should be able to. It's the sign of a person who thinks lock-in strategies are gross and an anti-pattern, and is principled enough to vote with their wallet. It's the sign of a non-conformist, a free thinker who makes their own decisions, rather than following the group-thinking masses. A green bubble is the badge of honor that identifies a person who thinks differently.
In the end, Apple's strategy will probably win because Machiavellianism works, but that doesn't mean we can't give it a hell of a good run.
I also love being a green bubble, and telling people to use one of the several other secure, cross-platform messengers. I would personally never use Beeper Mini, because anyone in my social circle who cares about "blue bubbles" would be mocked mercilessly.
But I also hear all these stories about kids being bullied for having Android phones, and see Apple executives talking about locking entire families into the iPhone ecosystem using iMessage [1] on that basis.
To me, this is pretty evil, monopolistic behavior which needs to be regulated out of existence. I'm glad Beeper is bringing it to light. The fact that it doesn't affect me personally is unimportant.
My kids are facing this now and it doesn't seem to even exist. Some of them have Android phones, and they're still friends. My daughter doesn't even want an iPhone because she figures I will have more parental control over it than I would an Android phone.
My friend sent me the Beeper Mini article the other week and said "Look, you can have blue bubbles now!". I immediately scoffed - even if it wasn't going to break in a few days, I will never lift a finger to support what Apple is doing with iMessage. Absolutely absurd, even more so absurd the way folks talk about it.