Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 10th Jun 2010 23:06 UTC
"The row between Google and Apple over the strict iPhone analytics information sharing policies, which Google and its AdMob subsidiary claim unfairly shuts them out of iPhone and iPad advertising in favor of Apple's iAd, may face antitrust scrutiny. According to the Financial Times, US regulators are looking into the situation, though it's not yet clear if a formal investigation will happen."
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RE[4]: Comment by mtzmtulivu
by tyrione on Fri 11th Jun 2010 11:01
in reply to "RE[3]: Comment by mtzmtulivu"
RE[5]: Comment by mtzmtulivu
by righard on Fri 11th Jun 2010 12:22
in reply to "RE[4]: Comment by mtzmtulivu"
Member since:2007-12-26
RE[5]: Comment by mtzmtulivu
by ndrw on Fri 11th Jun 2010 12:37
in reply to "RE[4]: Comment by mtzmtulivu"
Member since:2009-06-30
Do they also try to use their distribution channels to block competitor's advertising? Or, do they forbid use of development tools made by a competitor? If not, the whole argument is fairly irrelevant.
Let me repeat my earlier point: to face antitrust investigation the company must fall under two categories: being a monopolist (tick), using this status to fight competitors, either remaining ones or these operating on other markets (tick).
Besides, Microsoft or Sony at least allow third-party retailers in their distribution network. Not a big difference (because they still control encryption keys) but comparing them to Apple is a bit unfair.
RE[5]: Comment by mtzmtulivu
by Boomshiki on Sat 12th Jun 2010 02:43
in reply to "RE[4]: Comment by mtzmtulivu"
Member since:2008-06-11
"I'm not claiming that Apple are monopolists in the mobile phone market. Clearly they are not, not even in the smart-phone part of it.
They do have a monopoly in the iphone/ipad software distribution market, though. That's alright (these are Apple's products and they can lock them down in whatever way they like) but Apple can't use this position in order to gain an advantage in other markets (like advertising, content containers or development tools). That's what antitrust laws are about.
You could ask "what if they put advertising restrictions in their licenses right from the start". That's an interesting case. You could argue that the advertising market on iPhone didn't exist and Apple have simply made one (so there is no violation of antitrust law). This however is not true when the license is being changed on the fly to shape the existing market.
They do have a monopoly in the iphone/ipad software distribution market, though. That's alright (these are Apple's products and they can lock them down in whatever way they like) but Apple can't use this position in order to gain an advantage in other markets (like advertising, content containers or development tools). That's what antitrust laws are about.
You could ask "what if they put advertising restrictions in their licenses right from the start". That's an interesting case. You could argue that the advertising market on iPhone didn't exist and Apple have simply made one (so there is no violation of antitrust law). This however is not true when the license is being changed on the fly to shape the existing market.
And Sony has a homogeneous distribution channel for the Playstation, PSP; and Microsoft for the XBox, or Nintendo for the Wii/Cube.
Your point? "
Comparing Apple's policy with advertising with Xbox, would be more like if Microsoft sid "No more product placement on games for our console that is not Microsoft related.
It works out well for MS if in Need for Speed you drive past a Microsoft Store rather than a Burger King, or if in NHL, everyone has a Bing logo on their jersey. But would that be taking an unfair advantage of their position? Sure, devs could develop for other consoles just fine, but wouldn't they still loose billions of dollars and possibly face going out of business?
Apple already claimed to be the largest maker of mobile devices, you can't even say that they don't hold that much influence.
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.More Features »
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2009-06-30
I'm not claiming that Apple are monopolists in the mobile phone market. Clearly they are not, not even in the smart-phone part of it.
They do have a monopoly in the iphone/ipad software distribution market, though. That's alright (these are Apple's products and they can lock them down in whatever way they like) but Apple can't use this position in order to gain an advantage in other markets (like advertising, content containers or development tools). That's what antitrust laws are about.
You could ask "what if they put advertising restrictions in their licenses right from the start". That's an interesting case. You could argue that the advertising market on iPhone didn't exist and Apple have simply made one (so there is no violation of antitrust law). This however is not true when the license is being changed on the fly to shape the existing market.