> What's your point? Apple has 10% or so of the market and doesn't have a > monopoly in computers or software, has an underlying open source OS. > Microsoft has 80-90% of the market and is close to a monopoly, with a > closed, proprietary OS. So you buy the monopoly product, and avoid the > company that has the smallest market share then claim that Apple has a > monopoly at 10%. > > Not logical. If you don't like Apple products, that's your choice. > Where's the monopoly?
I'm simply using the same formula that the courts used to pronounce Microsoft a monopolist. The courts artificially restricted the definition of the "market" of computers to exclude competitors Apple and Linux. Under that formula, and by Apple's own exclusionary behavior to protect their platform from competition, Apple is as much a monopolist of their market as is Microsoft. More so, since Apple, unlike Microsoft, controls the hardware as well as the software. iPod market penetration levels are near or equal to Windows market penetration and has already attracted the attention of EU anti-trust regulators. Considering the highly restrictive nature and vertical integration of the iPod food chain with iTunes, Apple is again a monopolist, using that formula. I would go so far as to say it's an abusive monopolist with the iPod. You see the same behavior with the iPhone. Mind you, I've managed just fine under the iPod regime, and I don't have any problem with Apple (or Microsoft) conducting their business as they have. I have always had choices, despite judicial protestations, and it hasn't impacted me beyond the influence that Apple has had on particular markets. But as you can see, the market is already beginning to loosen Apple's strangle hold on the music industry (all hail Sandisk and Amazon!), which is what markets tend to do when not interfered with by meddling politicos. ************************************************************************ * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************************************************ * List archive from 1/1/2000 is on the MARC http://marc.info/?l=computerguys-l * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/ * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/maillist.xml * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived ************************************************************************
