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Which competitors to $car_manufacturer engines are there for $car_manufacturer cars? This is a stupid question. Whether or not there is competition on iOS does

Which competitors to $car_manufacturer engines are there for $car_manufacturer cars? This is a stupid question. Whether or not there is competition on iOS doesn’t matter as long as there exists viable competition on any viable platform.

rcoder 6y ago
...and if all car manufacturers bought engines from the same factory (TSMC), used the same satnav (except one brand, who had a slightly-worse in-house clone), and an accelerator and gearbox from exactly one source (Google search) would you be more concerned about anticompetitive behavior? What if the manufacturers were allowed to produce "accessories" like batteries, tires, and child seats that refused to work in any other car, and actively sued repair shops that weren't official dealerships? Apple and Google may be competitors, strictly speaking, but the reality is they've pretty well carved up the market between premium buyers mostly concerned with fit+finish, prestige, and compatibility with other Apple devices, and the operating system and network infrastructure for, well, everything else. It's absolutely a duopoly, and so minimally competitive: either Google or Apple would happily claim leadership status, but neither party really wants the other to go away lest actual competition or government intervention cause them to lose control of their patch of ground.
- ryanlol 6y ago
  > Apple and Google may be competitors, strictly speaking, but the reality is they've pretty well carved up the market between premium buyers mostly concerned with fit+finish, prestige, and compatibility with other Apple devices, and the operating system and network infrastructure for, well, everything else. Somehow there are heaps of expensive android phones that sell just fine. The flagship Samsung phones cost more than any iPhone. > It's absolutely a duopoly, and so minimally competitive Well no, there are tons of smartphone manufacturers with viable products.
  - solarkraft 6y ago
    > Well no, there are tons of smartphone manufacturers with viable products There are 2 viable software platforms.
TheOtherHobbes 6y ago
There is no competition, because there are exactly two viable platforms for mobile apps. All the others are footnotes.
ThrowawayR2 6y ago
> "Which competitors to $car_manufacturer engines are there for $car_manufacturer cars?" Interesting and rather unfortunate that you should use that example, since the landmark Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act famously invalidated automakers attempts to revoke their products' warranty if aftermarket parts were installed. It's a clear example of a consumer-hostile practice that was deemed to be unfair and regulated, even though no monopoly was involved.

rcoder 6y ago

...and if all car manufacturers bought engines from the same factory (TSMC), used the same satnav (except one brand, who had a slightly-worse in-house clone), and an accelerator and gearbox from exactly one source (Google search) would you be more concerned about anticompetitive behavior? What if the manufacturers were allowed to produce "accessories" like batteries, tires, and child seats that refused to work in any other car, and actively sued repair shops that weren't official dealerships? Apple and Google may be competitors, strictly speaking, but the reality is they've pretty well carved up the market between premium buyers mostly concerned with fit+finish, prestige, and compatibility with other Apple devices, and the operating system and network infrastructure for, well, everything else. It's absolutely a duopoly, and so minimally competitive: either Google or Apple would happily claim leadership status, but neither party really wants the other to go away lest actual competition or government intervention cause them to lose control of their patch of ground.

ryanlol 6y ago
> Apple and Google may be competitors, strictly speaking, but the reality is they've pretty well carved up the market between premium buyers mostly concerned with fit+finish, prestige, and compatibility with other Apple devices, and the operating system and network infrastructure for, well, everything else. Somehow there are heaps of expensive android phones that sell just fine. The flagship Samsung phones cost more than any iPhone. > It's absolutely a duopoly, and so minimally competitive Well no, there are tons of smartphone manufacturers with viable products.
- solarkraft 6y ago
  > Well no, there are tons of smartphone manufacturers with viable products There are 2 viable software platforms.

TheOtherHobbes 6y ago

There is no competition, because there are exactly two viable platforms for mobile apps. All the others are footnotes.

ThrowawayR2 6y ago

> "Which competitors to $car_manufacturer engines are there for $car_manufacturer cars?" Interesting and rather unfortunate that you should use that example, since the landmark Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act famously invalidated automakers attempts to revoke their products' warranty if aftermarket parts were installed. It's a clear example of a consumer-hostile practice that was deemed to be unfair and regulated, even though no monopoly was involved.