←back to thread

1704 points ardit33 | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
CarbyAu ◴[] No.24152076[source]
The problem here is Apples user market capture.

Through iOS devices Apple has created a market of users they are the very protective gatekeeper for.

Windows PC user market. Not locked down. Though MS has a store you have Steam, EGS, GOG, Origin, UBS etc for games alone. Let alone productivity apps.

Android market. Not locked down. Though google play store is the gorilla other stores exist. I like F-Droid.

EPICS Unreal game engine? Doesn't have a locked down market of users. It would lock the business into a payment scheme though.

Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo consoles. I fear they are similar in terms of gatekeepering to users and should be subject to whatever outcome Apple is. They seem a bit more open to begin with though so are likely to be less affected. It also makes them not the prime offender, though offenders all the same.

Ultimately, want to sell to an Apple iOS user? One choice.

Separately then, is this anti-competitive or simply smart business? I'd answer : Why not both? The business wants to make money and until the law steps in, they will do it.

replies(3): >>24152758 #>>24152887 #>>24155931 #
aikah ◴[] No.24152758[source]
What Apple achieved is very rare in the industry. They achieved both complete horizontal and vertical integration for all their products.

Even Microsoft kind of failed to do this. Most computers sold running Windows are not built by Microsoft.

replies(1): >>24155419 #
1. nvarsj ◴[] No.24155419[source]
Well, the government used to enforce antitrust laws. Microsoft got into a huge anti-trust battle over simply bundling Internet Explorer with Windows. Compare this to the state of iOS, which is in far worse shape - internal APIs that only Apple apps can use, Safari can never be completely removed or replaced, the App store shenanigans, etc. It's a testament to the complete capture of Washington by corporate lobbyists that Apple gets away with it.