Let's stop fro a minute! How many different independent compsnies make PC's?
How easy is it to buy parts and make your own? Now, consider the Apple OS.
You buy the computer from them and only them, and b'dee, b'dee, that's all
folks! Imagine what a wonderful place the world would be if PC's were only
available from Microsoft! How can you not call Apple a monopoly?
And Unix? That would require far too much study and knowledge for most to
use on a regular basis.
Perhaps with the iPhone, but I don't do that. I use their open-source, UNIX
OS and their computers, which by no means could be considered a monopoly.
(At least I don't see how Apple has "sufficient control over a particular
product or service to determine significantly the terms on which other
individuals shall have access to it." I guess by a strict interpretation of
that Wikipedia definition, one could say that Ford has a monopoly on Ford
automobiles... :-)
If Apple becomes the monopoly player in computers, I'll have long since
moved on to something else.
There's a certain outlook of being #1 that is somewhat pathetic. You quit
innovating, and spend more of your resources in defensive manoeuvres, like
copy protection and legal action against your customers. Perhaps Apple is
indulging in such behaviour in certain markets -- ones I don't partake in --
but in computing, they still have to innovate in order to get anyone to buy
their products.
You mean just like they innovated in color management with the latest OS so
now people have to go to great lengths to get good prints?
Bill Pearce
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