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What I don’t get is how many howl and cry foul at Apple for its Store “monopoly” while anyone can opt-out of it by switching to any other of the myriad competit

by eecc 6y ago

What I don’t get is how many howl and cry foul at Apple for its Store “monopoly” while anyone can opt-out of it by switching to any other of the myriad competitors. While in this case, Google is very likely abusing its dominance to coerce the whole ecosystem beyond their own platform in their favor: if the web becomes “works with Chrome” everyone is (probably negatively) affected.

ulrikrasmussen 6y ago
I don't own an Apple product and probably never will, so I'm not that familiar with the situation there. In general though, I'm not that fond of private entities being regulators of markets. This is what democratic institutions are for, but unfortunately we don't have strong institutions in this space.
worble 6y ago
Definition of myriad (Entry 1 of 2) 1 : ten thousand 2 : a great number The Apple/Google duopoly does not constitute a "myriad of competitors".
- stjohnswarts 6y ago
  Also apple isn't even close to "monopoly" in the phone business. It's pretty easy to buy a phone from a different company last I checked. Chrome is quickly becoming the only game in town --for internet access--
madeofpalk 6y ago
For what it's worth this argument - that users are actually able to switch to Android if they don't like the iOS app store and that consitutes competition - will be tested by the courts in the Epic vs Apple case. Epic says this is not a real factor for consumers, despite it still harming them.
alwayshasbeen 6y ago
Now that you mention it, this is a pretty evil strategy. It may seem that developers and businesses have all freedom to create and run their sides and apps as they wish but if they don't comply to Google's view how the web and apps should be they... ... rank very low on search results and are therefore displaced by competitors that play along the rules of Google ... don't get into the Play Store or get kicked out ... can't express an opinion on any Google platform that goes against their (vaguely formulated) terms of use, otherwise their account gets blocked in no time.
danaris 6y ago
While Apple does not have a monopoly over the smartphone market by any meaningful definition, what it does have is a vastly outsized mindshare. Not only did Apple invent the modern smartphone, they created the first modern App Store. This, combined with their high cultural cachet, allows them to define by their actions what an App Store "should be" in many people's minds. Personally, as a lifelong Apple user, I'm both concerned about Apple's singular control over the iPhone app market, and concerned what would happen if that singular control were broken.

by eecc 6y ago

ulrikrasmussen 6y ago

I don't own an Apple product and probably never will, so I'm not that familiar with the situation there. In general though, I'm not that fond of private entities being regulators of markets. This is what democratic institutions are for, but unfortunately we don't have strong institutions in this space.

worble 6y ago

Definition of myriad (Entry 1 of 2) 1 : ten thousand 2 : a great number The Apple/Google duopoly does not constitute a "myriad of competitors".

stjohnswarts 6y ago
Also apple isn't even close to "monopoly" in the phone business. It's pretty easy to buy a phone from a different company last I checked. Chrome is quickly becoming the only game in town --for internet access--

madeofpalk 6y ago

For what it's worth this argument - that users are actually able to switch to Android if they don't like the iOS app store and that consitutes competition - will be tested by the courts in the Epic vs Apple case. Epic says this is not a real factor for consumers, despite it still harming them.

alwayshasbeen 6y ago

Now that you mention it, this is a pretty evil strategy. It may seem that developers and businesses have all freedom to create and run their sides and apps as they wish but if they don't comply to Google's view how the web and apps should be they... ... rank very low on search results and are therefore displaced by competitors that play along the rules of Google ... don't get into the Play Store or get kicked out ... can't express an opinion on any Google platform that goes against their (vaguely formulated) terms of use, otherwise their account gets blocked in no time.

danaris 6y ago

While Apple does not have a monopoly over the smartphone market by any meaningful definition, what it does have is a vastly outsized mindshare. Not only did Apple invent the modern smartphone, they created the first modern App Store. This, combined with their high cultural cachet, allows them to define by their actions what an App Store "should be" in many people's minds. Personally, as a lifelong Apple user, I'm both concerned about Apple's singular control over the iPhone app market, and concerned what would happen if that singular control were broken.