Saturday, February 26, 2011

Monopoly business tactics

This confirms monopolistic behavior by Apple:
Apple also allegedly told Sony that the app couldn’t access content purchased on other Sony Reader devices, which is where most of the outrage was focused. Amazon’s Kindle app and Barnes & Noble’s Nook app are both popular mechanisms for users to download and read books that they have purchased from the respective stores. Many feared that this supposed change in Apple policy would take their e-books away from their iPads, iPhones and iPod touches. Apple’s second statement indicates that this is indeed the case ...
and by Google:
Google has punished e-commerce sites, including J. C. Penney, for inflating its rankings by paying for links from unrelated sites.
In both cases, the company is trying to extend its monopoly in one market to another.

If I buy my own Apple iphone/ipod/ipad, and I buy my own ebooks and ebook reader, then I should be able to read my ebooks as I please without a veto from Steve Jobs. But he is saying that he will forbid it, because he did not get his 30% cut of the ebook sale.

Likewise, if I am doing a Google search, I should not be blocked from finding JC Penney just because PC Penney bought ads from a rival.

Apple and Google admit to these monopolistic practices. I recommend using alternative products.

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