Hi, OP here. Just to answer your questions:

iCloud functionality still works fine (contacts, calendar, photos, backups, etc). In addition to using it on all devices, I can log in to icloud.com.

I have access to my already-installed apps on my mac and iPhone. I can't install new apps or update existing apps. When I get my new M1 MacBook Pro I won't be able to install any App Store apps, or copy them from my old Intel MacBook Pro.

I can't listen to music or other content in iTunes that isn't already downloaded (and I kept nothing local, because I'm low on disk space). This one hurts the most: I will never have access to the music I painstakingly added to iTunes Match. The list of music is still in iTunes, but with the ↓ icon indicating it is only available online, and if I try to download, I get the “account blocked” error.

I can log in to apple.com and purchase items from the store using my Apple ID, but I can't apply my Apple balance to orders.

Apple said I have to create an entirely new Apple ID, I can't just replaced the App Store/iTunes part of my otherwise functional Apple ID.

> Apple said I have to create an entirely new Apple ID, I can't just replaced the App Store/iTunes part of my otherwise functional Apple ID.

That's what kills me the modt in that. That they tell you to create a new account while this is a boolean in their system...

This is pure theft. Justice rendered by a company that protects its interests before its own customers. Justice has been rendered, you have no appeal. What terrorises me is that Apple is not the worst in this category

I think the best solution is to take them to a small claims court. They are essentially defrauding you of significant value. Alternatively file a fraud case with the police.

This flaw is what keeps me away from digital purchases. If I can loose all the money I put into your service "for any reason", I'd rather not put money into it at all. Even more so if the decision to cease my money is automated.

I believe the only store that does digital purchases right at the moment seems to be Steam, but I'm hesitant to use even that.

Consumer protection laws really need to catch up.

This is my moment to mention GOG and Bandcamp, who sell you games and music DRM free.

Steam is still DRM. If you lose access to your Steam account you lose access to all the games associated with it.

For downloads yes, if you account is banned that’s it. Still not perfect. But the games don’t necessarily have DRM on the the downloaded files. I own quite a few games I can just copy/backup their files to a different computer and they launch fine without steam installed. But I tend to only buy indie games so…

If you shop lifted from your local Target, they would not be allowed to empty your cupboards of all items that potentially could have came from them. They would have to prove each one belongs to them and was obtained via theft first. If they want a policy like this I think they should stop having to use words like 'buy' and start using words like 'indefinite revocable lease' to describe the transaction.

> Should he have loss access to all iTunes Music, or Movies he bought in the past 10 years?

In the regular law texts, there's this concept of a proportional response. That's also why we punish punching someone differently from killing someone. But here, all bets are off, because he has entered a private dictatorship with a highly erratic monarch where nobody really knows what laws will be applied or when.

If anything, this might be a good example of why some people consider treating multi-national corporations like independent countries.

I noticed that last bit. What an absolutely moronic thing to say. Everyone is capable of making mistakes.