louisgray.com - Latest Comments in louisgray.com: Having a Development Platform Doesn't Mean You Stop Competing

Re: louisgray.com: Having a Development Platform Doesn't Mean You Stop Competing

Yuvi Panda — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:53:52 -0000

So there's nothing legal preventing companies from screwing their companies? It's just "if you don't like it, don't buy"? Isn't there something like, consumer protection? (Sorry for the n00b questions - I obviously don't live there)

Re: louisgray.com: Having a Development Platform Doesn't Mean You Stop Competing

Kontra — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:06:45 -0000

There's a brewing controversy about Apple's right to exclude iPhone apps from its App Store. People have gone so far as to threaten to never write iPhone apps or even to draw parallels between Apple and the Nazis.
[...]
Developers are incredibly important to any platform but if developers alone could create and sustain a platform, we'd all be using Linux on our desktops.
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A platform is more than throwing an SDK against the proverbial wall of developers and hoping something sticks. A platform, above all, needs to be curated.
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If Apple had given into the thundering chorus of critics goading it to "open up" the iTunes/iPod/iTMS trio to third parties (WMA) and license its own DRM (FairPlay), we'd surely not be looking at a company whose market cap has grown an additional $100 billion since then. Indeed, there'd likely be no iPhone to kvetch about today.
[...]
Some developers demand Apple try to communicate better, lest they assume the worst of the platform vendor. While that sounds plenty reasonable at face value, given the curatorial demands on the fledgling state of the App Store platform and Apple's overall reliance on product-plan secrecy, we shouldn't realistically expect Apple to "open up" anytime soon.

Resolved: Apple is right to curate the App Store
http://counternotions.com/2...

Re: louisgray.com: Having a Development Platform Doesn't Mean You Stop Competing

Mark Trapp — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 12:21:25 -0000

Well, as long as they screw with you independently.

If you are given a choice of what platform you can work on, and they all have their own issues, it's still a choice. But if each company got together and conspired to keep all of their platforms anti-competitive so they don't hurt their other businesses, that's collusion and it's illegal.

Re: louisgray.com: Having a Development Platform Doesn't Mean You Stop Competing

Yuvi Panda — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:37:19 -0000

Mark, so companies can screw with you as long as more than one company screws with you?

Re: louisgray.com: Having a Development Platform Doesn't Mean You Stop Competing

Mark Trapp — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:10:34 -0000

Yuvi, US anti-trust laws prevent companies from leveraging monopolies to foster anti-competitive practices. The iPhone is not a monopoly. If the iPhone had a 90% market share, it'd enjoy the same treatment Microsoft received when it leveraged its Windows monopoly to shut out browser competition.

Re: louisgray.com: Having a Development Platform Doesn't Mean You Stop Competing

Yuvi Panda — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:54:24 -0000

So, it's good when Steve (metaphorically) decides what's the best app?

I'm curious about US Law - When Microsoft got shot for something far less 'anti-competitive', why is Apple totally getting away with this?

Re: louisgray.com: Having a Development Platform Doesn't Mean You Stop Competing

Jesse Stay — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:09:47 -0000

So do you think people are finally building controls around wikinomics, and losing the openness that Web 2.0 has brought us? People have to compete, but I would hope people are learning where they can remain open and where they should keep a tight handle on so they don't lose an edge on the market.