Waiting for the future where the only computing devices you can buy as a consumer are locked-down phones and PCs are simply not available anymore...

That does seem to be where this is headed. Especially after googles last announcement possibly bricking 99% of the phones from accessing the internet

This looks like a consumer choice and producers are following up with the demand.

Given that the AI companies are still operating at a loss and running on investor money, I'm not sure it's actually driven by consumer choice.

Consumers are not helping though. They do everything on a smartphone and don't even blink when mobile app is required for most trivial things.

To echo the post you are responding to: when the app is required it isn't really a consumer choice, is it?

	▲	lifestyleguru 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> required it isn't really a consumer choice, is it? No one really resists or pushes back. When I resist I hear "that's what consumers want", "it's for security", or that I'm the problem. There is no one to complain to even, except to low paid kiddos in customer service.