

EU's continues to milk its favorite cash cow



Comments the EU:




Steve Ballmer w Windows 8






Opera Mmini




Comments     Threshold


RE: Can We Stop?
By Reclaimer77 on 3/6/2013 7:03:52 PM , Rating: 0
A law that only applies to one company?? Why isn't Apple forced to provide an iTunes alternative? Doesn't iOS have a huge majority "monopoly" tablet share in the EU? Why is Safari the default browser and there is NO ballot selection option?

I could think of hundreds of examples where the law is not being applied equally here.

Hide behind "the law", fine, but there should be equal protection/enforcement under the law. And that's simply NOT THERE.

You're wasting my time.

Hey so go fuck off then if debating the almighty EU laws are above you. I never asked you to debate this with me.

RE: Can We Stop?
By futrtrubl on 3/6/2013 10:49:15 PM , Rating: 2
As far as I can see Apple has a 55% market share in tablets (world , can't find Europe specific stats). Also according to that their market share high was 14% higher ie 69%. Compare with the 90% market share Windows had at the time.
And that's cherry picking Apple's strongest segment. Add phones to that making the ultra-mobile segment and its market share drops to less than 50%, add laptops making it a mobile segment and it falls even further.
This is about using you monopoly position in the OS market to create a monopoly position in the browser market. It's fine to BE a monopoly, as long as you get there through competitive means and don't abuse that position.
Apple doesn't have that position to abuse.

RE: Can We Stop?
By drlumen on 3/7/2013 12:37:31 PM , Rating: 2
The "laws" in this instance is the fact they they ignored a government agency mandate and got fined.

This particular fine has nothing really to do with the original mandate/fine. This fine was for MS not abiding by the mandate - regardless of your position on the initial fine.

While I don't like the fact the that EU can just jump up and make arbitrary business restrictions and fines, M$ accepted these risks for doing business in the EU. They have problems with it now but so what? M$ accepted the risk, got fined for their behavior (part of the fine was the change to the ballot system) and they ignored or were incompetent to abide by the ballot rule so this fine is their own fault.

