7 ms·
They are part of a duopoly and I hope Google also gets scrutinized.
by egeozcan 5y ago
They are part of a duopoly and I hope Google also gets scrutinized.
- macintux 5y agoUntil/unless the two companies are caught colluding against consumers, duopolies aren't covered by antitrust law afaik.
- hparadiz 5y agoThe Apple store is a monopoly when you consider just iOS. It is in fact 100% market share among apple devices. There is no alternative. Android doesn't replace an iPhone in many cases.
- coldtea 5y ago>The Apple store is a monopoly when you consider just iOS. Every business is just a monopoly if you consider it alone, and a single 7 Eleven has 100% marker share among its store.
- hparadiz 5y agoI don't remember being required to use a 7-11 credit card at a 7-11 for every transaction but nice try.
- Jtsummers 5y agoAnd I don't have to use an Apple credit card on the iOS app store.
- hparadiz 5y agoAh but you have to use the Apple app store. There is no alternative.
- Jtsummers 5y agoSure there is, don't buy an Apple device. They aren't the majority or even necessary for anything. Android is a viable alternative and you can sideload applications there. And, in stark contrast to the MS antitrust case, Apple doesn't have 97% of the market share.
- hparadiz 5y agoYou can't not have an iPhone for so many reasons. From payment processors to things like the apple watch which requires iOS to operate. Stop lying.
- coldtea 5y ago>You can't not have an iPhone for so many reasons. This is the most entitled, "first world" problem, I've ever heard of. Sure you can (not have one). The majority (60%+) of the population in the USA manages just fine without one. 90% in some Western European countries... Pro tip: you don't need an Apple Watch either. Pro tip 2: you might want to look up the definition of "need" and "lying".
- hparadiz 5y agoYou'd be surprised what someone who runs a food truck or works in real estate "needs" to project "success". Actual protip: get out of your tech bubble for two seconds and talk to some real business owners.
- nl 5y agoA brand requirement to establish prestige seems a weak anti-trust case. Infact, a judge might see it as a counter argument. If prestige is the reason people buy Apple then almost by definition there must be alternatives.
- hraedon 5y ago"I need this specific platform to succeed for some reason" does not somehow make that platform a monopoly that should be subject to regulatory action. Apple's management of their platform is not unique, is not meaningfully different from their competitors, and not meaningfully different from the management of similar stores in different industries. Even assuming they actually have built a strong enough brand that people are judged for having a competing product, I fail to see how requiring changes to the App Store solves that problem.
- lancesells 5y agoI'm curious, do you use iOS devices?
- hparadiz 5y agoI own hand me downs I use for testing but they are usually in a pile on my desk and not actually in use.
- coldtea 5y agoWell, you don't have to use an Apple credit card in the App Store either. That said, do you remember having to use Disney money in Disneyland for every transaction?
- toast0 5y ago> That said, do you remember having to use Disney money in Disneyland for every transaction? I remember it being a fun option to use either Disney or US dollars in the park, maybe it was required at some point, but I don't remember that.
- shkkmo 5y agoThe analagous situation with convenience storea is: If any convenience store chain was able to prevent other convenience store chains from operating in a geographic area, they would have a monopoly in that area. Consumers in that market segment would have no other choice unless they were willing to sell their house and move. In your example, a consumer can easily leave 7-11 and go to a near by store at a much, much, lower cost than selling a house. On Android, to have choices beyond the Play Store, all I need to do is change some setting and instal a 3rd party store. On iPhone, to have choices beyond the AppStore I might be able to run some much more complicated and dangerous software, but only when Apple is behind in the cat and mouse game with jailbreakers. The root of the question here is one we have to answer as a society. How much should consumer choice cost (relative to the price of the good/service they are choosing). Maybe 5x is reasonable, but 500x is not. When a company deliberately does everything they can to raise those costs and thoae costs are very high (such as with Apple), I think we should absolutely call those companies to account for anti-competive and monopolostic trade practices.
- coldtea 5y ago>The analagous situation with convenience storea is: If any convenience store chain was able to prevent other convenience store chains from operating in a geographic area, they would have a monopoly in that area This breaks down as there's no "physical area" preventing anything. You can get an Android phone whether you're in Alaska or Miami or Tanzania. In fact it's easier, and most of the billions in the planet (including high income earners) do just that.
- shkkmo 5y agoThe analogy is between the cost of moving to a new physical area and the cost of buying a new physical device.
- enos_feedler 5y agoUh, it's more like the cost of switching your preferred convenience store chain vs. your phone platform. There are alternatives and you might like one more than the other, but at the end of the day both serve the same purpose (buy milk, or computer in my pocket). If this analogy breaks down it's not because Apple has a monopoly, it's because Android ecosystem has not delivered something similar enough to 7-11.
- nicoburns 5y agoHopefully that will soon change. Apple/google is a prime example of why it should.
- katbyte 5y agoThe the PlayStation and Xbox and Nintendo stores are the exact same?
- smashingfiasco 5y agoBecause Apple influenced them. They copied Apple’s model because Apple had been getting away with it, and will likely have to comply with whatever new regulations might result from this.
- katbyte 5y agoAre you sure? I thought PlayStation store opened in 2006 and apple 2008?
- heavyset_go 5y ago> duopolies aren't covered by antitrust law afaik. What exactly do you think the 'trust' in 'antitrust' means? From here[1]: > A trust or corporate trust is a large grouping of business interests with significant market power, which may be embodied as a corporation or as a group of corporations that cooperate with one another in various ways. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust_(business) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust_(business)
- macintux 5y agoHence the caveat: > Until/unless the two companies are caught colluding against consumers
- myko 5y agoAndroid isn't just Google though. Amazon ships Android devices that don't even have Google's Android store on them. Amazon also ships their own store which Android users can download and install even on Google devices - and they're not the only 3rd party store on Android.
- ipaddr 5y agoWhat % of android phones are Amazon? Less than 1%? I think they would need a bigger marketshare before you start including them as a market player.
- mywittyname 5y agoPhones? Probably nil. But tablets, firesticks, and kindles have to enjoy reasonable marketshare. Kindle is something like 70% of the ebook market, 85% if you include KindleUnlimited. I believe non-Google Android phones are quite popular outside of the USA.