Competition is good, Apple is not (1 Viewer)

Martin

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2000
56,913
#1
Apple's Animal Farm
Posted by Jon Fortt, senior writer
August 24, 2009 1:38 PM

I'm sorry, Microsoft. On behalf of Silicon Valley, I’m sorry.

We cursed you, mocked you, labeled you the Evil Empire. Your crime: trying to control the technology world. Sure, we had reason to be upset. During the dawning of the PC era, the Windows operating system made you the most powerful company in tech, and it went to your head.

Your detractors say you intimidated PC makers, crushed Netscape, and tried to turn the web into an extension of the Windows platform. As it turns out, local darling Apple (AAPL) probably would have done the same thing.

Just look at how Apple is behaving today with a fraction of the power you had.

Apple's iTunes has an estimated 87% market share in music downloads, a beachhead it is using to expand its influence in much the same way you used Windows to expand yours. What has Apple done with its dominance? It has refused to let other media players sync with iTunes. It has tried to strong-arm Hollywood into selling content on terms mostly favorable to Cupertino. It has tightly controlled the iPhone ecosystem, insisting that its own iTunes app store serve as the only way to broadly distribute software.

And now, in the Google Voice episode (more on that here), we see Apple blocking perfectly good software that competes with its ideas. When you tried this sort of thing, Microsoft, we called you a bully and went to the feds. Now that Apple’s doing it, we’re calling it … well, we’re not sure what to call it.

The most disturbing thing about the Google Voice (GOOG) dustup is Apple’s Orwellian claim that it didn’t reject the app. Apple did. Google submitted it and waited several weeks before Apple said it wouldn't be adding it to the app store. In the wake of the rejection, Google is working on a web-based version of the app that won't work as smoothly. Yes, Apple can always change its mind and accept the app, but that won't change the initial nixing. Note to Apple: Time Machine is an awesome feature in Mac OS X, but you can't use it to rewrite actual history.

So again, Microsoft (MSFT), I’m sorry we gave you such a hard time. Your sins weren’t unique after all. Yes, you pushed some people around. You trampled some ideas. Now, though, we can see the truth: We’ve been living the Silicon Valley version of Animal Farm all along. Like Napoleon the pig in the classic story, Apple promised us beautiful technology that would set us free to express and innovate.

Apple’s technology is gorgeous all right. But as Apple gets more power, a funny thing is happening on the farm. Innovation and expression on Apple’s iPhone platform are beginning to suffer, even as Apple insists that its restrictions are for our own good. And as we gaze out at the titans of the tech landscape, it’s getting difficult to tell which are the humans and which are the pigs.

http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/08/24/apples-animal-farm/
 

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Martin

Martin

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2000
56,913
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  • Thread Starter #4
    Wondering when you're gonna come around, Andy. Given that you do have a social conscience :)
     

    El Santo

    El Enmascarado de Plata
    Nov 26, 2008
    2,414
    #5
    I don't have that much knowledge "yet" of the Silicon Valley. But doesn't Microsoft own half of Apple, or something like that?. So if that's the case why will Microsoft be worried?, they will still be making lots of money. But of course I don't know if I'm correct or not.
     
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    Martin

    Martin

    Senior Member
    Dec 31, 2000
    56,913
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  • Thread Starter #6
    I don't have that much knowledge "yet" of the Silicon Valley. But doesn't Microsoft own half of Apple, or something like that?. So if that's the case why will Microsoft be worried?, they will still be making lots of money. But of course I don't know if I'm correct or not.
    This article is not about Microsoft being worried, it's about consumers being worried.
     

    V

    Senior Member
    Jun 8, 2005
    20,110
    #7
    • V

      V

    That's why we don't download Apple's DRM songs, but use torrents, and don't listen with iPod but use Cowon. :cool:
     

    V

    Senior Member
    Jun 8, 2005
    20,110
    #10
    • V

      V

    I got up early to await the delivery guy who's bringing my Cowon iAudio S9 :cool: :cool: :cool:
    Whoah, classy. :cool: Looks really good and what I find astonoshing is the price for such a device! Really affordable. :eek:

    But my i7 is still as new and I only need music in such a device so won't be upgrading.....yet.
     
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    Martin

    Martin

    Senior Member
    Dec 31, 2000
    56,913
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  • Thread Starter #11
    Whoah, classy. :cool: Looks really good and what I find astonoshing is the price for such a device! Really affordable. :eek:

    But my i7 is still as new and I only need music in such a device so won't be upgrading.....yet.
    Sure, no point in jumping the gun. My F2 still runs, but the buttons don't work well anymore and sometimes it won't power on right away. The latter alarmed me to order a new one :D
     

    V

    Senior Member
    Jun 8, 2005
    20,110
    #12
    • V

      V

    Sure, no point in jumping the gun. My F2 still runs, but the buttons don't work well anymore and sometimes it won't power on right away. The latter alarmed me to order a new one :D
    You know what I love most about my i7? The battery. It's ridiculously good. I had to take the bus few weeks ago to go home from my vacation, it was a 3h drive, and when I powered on the i7 it only had one bar showing on the battery life. I'm 110% certain any other player would have died after 15minutes but sure enough, my good old Cowon went on all the way and didn't die, untill I turned it off when I got home. When they say 60h playback time, they really mean it. :cool:
     
    OP
    Martin

    Martin

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    Dec 31, 2000
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  • Thread Starter #13
    You know what I love most about my i7? The battery. It's ridiculously good. I had to take the bus few weeks ago to go home from my vacation, it was a 3h drive, and when I powered on the i7 it only had one bar showing on the battery life. I'm 110% certain any other player would have died after 15minutes but sure enough, my good old Cowon went on all the way and didn't die, untill I turned it off when I got home. When they say 60h playback time, they really mean it. :cool:
    Yeah, it sure can last a long time when it's almost out of juice, even when the battery icon is blinking :D
     

    Sadomin

    Senior Member
    Apr 5, 2005
    7,292
    #16
    I still use the Cowon iAudio U2 256 mb:



    Only mp3-player I've ever owned. Must have been using it for 5-6 years or so, if not more.
     
    OP
    Martin

    Martin

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    Dec 31, 2000
    56,913
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  • Thread Starter #17
    I still use the Cowon iAudio U2 256 mb:



    Only mp3-player I've ever owned. Must have been using it for 5-6 years or so, if not more.
    How often? I use mine just about everyday. I've had three of them so far.
     

    Sadomin

    Senior Member
    Apr 5, 2005
    7,292
    #18
    I use it pretty much every day. Some might say 256 mb is too little, but I change the songs constantly.

    It's not showing any signs of dying either.
     
    OP
    Martin

    Martin

    Senior Member
    Dec 31, 2000
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  • Thread Starter #19
    I had an iRiver with a button much like that one and it started stuttering, it would register one press as two, or not register at all.
     

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