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I think if iMessage was a separate app that came preloaded on iPhones, it would be reasonable to ask why Apple has to make it work with Android. But the fact th

by et1337 3y ago

I think if iMessage was a separate app that came preloaded on iPhones, it would be reasonable to ask why Apple has to make it work with Android. But the fact that it is THE SMS app built into the OS, in my opinion, is the only reason it’s so ubiquitous in the US. You don’t get to say, “we compete just like any other messaging app, we shouldn’t be forced to integrate with anything” while also enjoying OS-level integration to the point where many (most?) people were onboarded into the iMessage ecosystem without even realizing it. As the Microsoft anti-trust case established, defaults matter. edit: even a separate preloaded app could still be considered anti-competitive if it’s selected by default, cf. Internet Explorer

MBCook 3y ago
Isn’t that what Google did with their messaging things? Wasn’t the same app as SMS? Isn’t that how they’ve deployed RCS? The MS case wasn’t all about defaults. I’m not sure any of it was about defaults. The thing that killed them was deals saying you couldn’t offer competing programs or had to pay them regardless of if you put Windows on the machine (so it was a waste of money to ship anything else). Plus changing code to break competitors.
- nerdix 3y ago
  Google doesn't have "messaging things" anymore. The default messaging app supports SMS/RCS and that's it. They tried the unified SMS/proprietary message protocol approach with Hangouts but that was short lived. I'm not even sure if it was ever at any point installed by default on a majority of Android phones. After Hangouts, they tried Allo which did not support SMS and was not a replacement for the default messages app which did support SMS.
MBCook 3y ago
I didn’t notice your edit earlier. The issue with IE, besides the “don’t install Netscape” contracts, was that they undercut Netscape’s price by charging $0 which is impossible to compete with. Essentially dumping. I don’t think it being default was also an issue in the US case, but the 90s was a long time ago. You’re 100% right about the power of defaults. That was a big issue in the EU which is why MS had to include the first-run browser picker. But I’m not in the EU and didn’t follow that case so unfortunately that tiny bit is all I know there.

by et1337 3y ago

MBCook 3y ago

Isn’t that what Google did with their messaging things? Wasn’t the same app as SMS? Isn’t that how they’ve deployed RCS? The MS case wasn’t all about defaults. I’m not sure any of it was about defaults. The thing that killed them was deals saying you couldn’t offer competing programs or had to pay them regardless of if you put Windows on the machine (so it was a waste of money to ship anything else). Plus changing code to break competitors.

nerdix 3y ago
Google doesn't have "messaging things" anymore. The default messaging app supports SMS/RCS and that's it. They tried the unified SMS/proprietary message protocol approach with Hangouts but that was short lived. I'm not even sure if it was ever at any point installed by default on a majority of Android phones. After Hangouts, they tried Allo which did not support SMS and was not a replacement for the default messages app which did support SMS.

MBCook 3y ago

I didn’t notice your edit earlier. The issue with IE, besides the “don’t install Netscape” contracts, was that they undercut Netscape’s price by charging $0 which is impossible to compete with. Essentially dumping. I don’t think it being default was also an issue in the US case, but the 90s was a long time ago. You’re 100% right about the power of defaults. That was a big issue in the EU which is why MS had to include the first-run browser picker. But I’m not in the EU and didn’t follow that case so unfortunately that tiny bit is all I know there.