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I'm curious if Europe will enforce the same policies on Apple - eg, ensuring that safari does not come pre-installed on snow leopard. If not, blatant double st

by froo 17y ago

I'm curious if Europe will enforce the same policies on Apple - eg, ensuring that safari does not come pre-installed on snow leopard. If not, blatant double standards given Apple's market share is increasing. EDIT - another thought, since access to internet via phones is becoming more widespread, will the EU start imposing the same policies on mobile phone manufacturers... EDIT #2 - Personally I think if the EU wants to force competition in the browser market, they should ensure that users get a choice of browsers with the pre-installed OS, otherwise with the browser not being included is potentially stumping the growth of internet availability to people who otherwise wouldn't have it. Just to be clear, I'm not anti-Apple, I just dislike silly rulings that in themselves are anti-competitive, given they only apply to one company.

AlisdairO 17y ago
Anti monopoly rules are usually unfair sounding. Why shouldn't a larger company use its position and money to dominate a new market? The thing is, monopolies can be so damaging to society that treating them in a manner that seems instinctively fair is often bad for us. Like it or not, they are different, and they must be treated differently. It's important to remember that corporations are not people, so if they're treated unfairly the only reason it's a big deal is if society as a whole loses out as a result. That said, I think the browser market is competitive enough nowadays that MS including a browser really is not that big a deal - OSes include browsers in the same way that cars come with steering wheels. I think this is more about punishing MS for past transgressions than anything else.