Comments on: So Much For Apple’s Flirtation With Openness http://paidcontent.org/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/ The economics of digital content Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:04:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: James McQ http://paidcontent.org/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82171 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:59:26 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82171 It’s amazing how much of a response you can get out of people by suggesting that Apple has done anything wrong. Let me just say that what Apple has is a classic monopoly (@Chuckie) in every meaning of the word. Monopolies, when abused, restrain trade. It is a clear fact of history and one that Apple has to steer clear of or it will get investigated by the FTC. That’s why Apple reversed itself last year on the question of allowing third-party development apps, because it was in danger of abusing monopoly power. For everyone that just says, “Apple can do what it wants,” I don’t disagree that Apple should try to make as much money as it can. But to do so by abusing monopoly power will actually harm Apple in the long run. As an exercise in evaluating whether you are being objective on this, ask yourself if you were ever angry at Microsoft for the way it crushed the browser market. That was classic restraint of trade due to monopoly power, yet Microsoft didn’t make a cent from it directly. Now imagine how angry you would be if Microsoft had crushed Netscape and managed to charge a few dollars for every copy of Internet Explorer? You’d be furious. This situation is not unlike that. So I encourage all to study up on trade law, policy, and precedent before you defend Apple so vigorously.

And to all of you who think you know what happened between Sony and Apple (and all the other companies who have spoken about this privately but won’t go on record because they don’t want to upset the Apple cart), you have made it clear from your comments on this post that you don’t actually know what happened there. There’s a lot more going on than I’ve even revealed. As we learned in Ingrid Lunden’s PaidContent piece yeseterday, “Apple said yesterday that that in their policy with Sony Reader, they are not changing anything, just enforcing existing rules. But when they talk to publishers direct, they are saying something else.” If you keep defending Apple without any knowledge of what really happened, you have become the company’s best line of defense against the facts.

]]> By: Fábio Oliveira http://paidcontent.org/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82170 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 12:21:49 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82170 I would say that Amazon won’t need to do as you say.
Amazon may need to drop whispersync and if really happens users will be able to upload .mobi files to Kindle app through iTunes or Amazon can register the Kindle app as compatible with .mobi files so you can download them from the Web.

]]> By: sharon http://paidcontent.org/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82169 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:51:24 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82169 I just thought that Sony is making Apple life so hard with music and video content licensing, and with the other hand they are going around the appstore selling books.

Maybe Apple think that Sony is not playing fair, being tuff when licensing its content and trying to avoid Apple fees when selling on their platform.

If I am right then it has nothing to do with the big picture it is just a business fight with Sony specifically.

]]> By: Kevin Bradshaw http://paidcontent.org/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82168 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:31:45 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82168 What’s most pertinent here is the end-user experience. I don’t really care who collects the revenue if my experience is good. So, maybe Apple just wins. Everything else is too fragmented, who doesn’t like convenience? The media cos need to understand this. User experience wins. Apple provides it, they get to take the payments. Is it really such a problem?

]]> By: Chris P http://paidcontent.org/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82167 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 01:01:00 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82167 Well, if it’s your toy, I guess you get to decide who can play with it. I think a lot of companies will gladly pay a toll to get on Apple’s toys.

]]> By: Corey http://paidcontent.org/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82166 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 23:35:00 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82166 It’s sadly not very surprising. Apple has never played well with others.

]]> By: zato http://paidcontent.org/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82165 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 23:07:08 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82165 “Clearly Apple has changed its mind. Though I haven’t seen the specifics—and Apple may choose to change them once they realize how angry the content industries are going to be about this—it appears that if you buy a Kindle book from Amazon ”

When you purchase a book from that app, you are taken directly to the Sony store and Apple makes nothing on the sale. The Kindle App uses Apples’ in-App purchasing system according to the rules, and is in no danger. It’s not about the money. The rules are there so that everyone has an equal opportunity to do some honest business, so that everybody wins.

I’m quite sure this is all well known to James McQuivey, of Forrester Research, who wrote the above anti-Apple BS. Don’t let “Though I haven’t seen the specifics…” get in the way of a good Apple hater story, James. And how is it that someone from Forrester Research is writing anti-Apple propaganda for a Microsoft controlled site? I’d love to know.

]]> By: Jeff http://paidcontent.org/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82164 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 20:35:22 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82164 >Alternatively, Amazon can develop an HTML 5 web experience that allows you to read Kindle books in the Web browser on the Apple device.

Maybe I’m missing something but how would Amazon handle the DRM on HTML5 e-books?

]]> By: Chuckie http://paidcontent.org/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82163 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:14:09 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82163 It’s amazing how with every change in licensing wording, Apple gets called a monopoly, especially with everyone heralding how Android has more market share. Want to say well, Apple has a monopoly in this segment or that segment, eg., smartphones, tables? I keep reading how that the Android army of devices, smartphones and tablets, are anticipated to have a larger market share than iOS devices.

Do any of these pundits know what the term monopoly means or are they, as usual, just trying to grab headlines (I vote for the latter).

]]> By: Bill Haynes http://paidcontent.org/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82162 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:43:53 +0000 http://paidcontent.wp.gostage.it/2011/02/01/419-so-much-for-apples-flirtation-with-openness/#comment-82162 I would advise everyone to wait until tomorrow. News Corp and Apple are announcing the Daily and the new itunes subscription model. Sony has not said that Apple is refusing to approve out of app purchases. The Sony app used in app purchasing outwith itunes. The other stuff in the NY Times about out of app purchases being banned is unsourced and unverified.

One other thing to bear in mind. Some of what Apple does is to protect consumers. For example, they are rejecting magazine/newspaper apps that try to charge customers for content that is available free on the publication’s website. I suspect that is what happened to the European newspapers that have had emails from Apple.

We will find out more tomorrow.

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