Apple Tells DoJ It Did Nothing Wrong; "Amazon Monopolistic"

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halcyon

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Naaa. As you know Apple charges a premium for their "simplistic industrial design". To many that holds no value. I, myself, have typically enjoyed Apple's design approaches, but many of you hate it...if for no other reason than its by...Apple. Fair enough. Sony does the same kind of thing...I think they've been doing it just as long or longer than Apple.

I'd rather have a 2600K in a metal chassis than a 3960 in a plastic chassis for gaming (all else being equal). Just different strokes for different folks.
 

molo9000

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[citation][nom]jimmysmitty[/nom]The richest company in the world calls Amazon monopolistic? The company that wont allow apps into their app store if they don't like them or don't want to compete? The company that doctored photos to win a case? The company that wont let you install their OS on anything but the hardware they say?Talk about the pot calling the kettle black....[/citation]

I don't think you understand what monopolistic means.

Apple could have monopolistic power in the digital music/ebooks market, but in the smartphone/tablet/personal computer markets they clearly have no monopoly.

Having a monopoly means leaving the customer no choice but to buy your product. You can hardly argue that Apple has a monopoly while the majority of smartphone buyers buy Android phones and while only 5% of PCs sold are made by Apple.
 

friikazoid

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[citation][nom]ikefu[/nom]As much as I usually don't like Apple. I have to agree with them on this.Amazon has been doing the "Wal-mart routine" trying to kill off every brick and mortar book store by selling books at a loss to gain the advantage. I despise Wal-mart when they do it to small towns and I despise that aspect of Amazon for doing it to Borders, B&N, etc.[/citation]

Of course, cause unlike Amazon, Apple's online distribution is magically NOT killing brick and mortar stores, despite working off the exact same principle of online distribution. *rolls eyes*
 

capt_taco

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If Apple and everything it ever did suddenly disappeared from existence in the blink of an eye, it would be a happy day for me, and I think the average IQ of the general population would go up by a good 10 points.
 

Middleman

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[citation][nom]Vladislaus[/nom]I though that when a monopoly is broken prices went down, not up.[/citation]

DING DING DING DING!!

Which is EXACTLY what is going to happen if the DOJ is successful, making Apple look all the more ridiculous for saying such a thing.
 
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[citation][nom]halcyon[/nom]Well, if THG was to make an Apple section and just place all of their articles there as opposed to on the main page many would cry fowl, "Why does Apple get its own section." If they stopped reporting on Apple to appease those that don't like Apple many would accuse them of negligence.Its sounds like those that don't like reading about Apple are going to have to:1) Ignore the articles2) Continue to use the articles as an opportunity to bash Apple and complain about THG's journalistic practicesor 3) Stop visiting THG...it sounds like 2) is the most popular options.[/citation]
4) Lower the frequency of articles about Apple instead of reporting on every fart they make.
 

kitsura

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The issue regarding anti-competitive behaviour will come when the publishers are questioned about the contract with Apple which states they cannot sell ebooks to anyone else for a lesser price than what Apple pays.
 

alidan

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from what i understand,

whole sale books, are far cheaper than what we get them for, by about half the price.
the publishers wanted to reclaim control of price, so this happened...

tell me how price fixing fits into a creative medium like this?
 

ta152h

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It seems the uneducated readers here don't know what a monopoly is (Apple either, for that matter). Apple is in no sense a monopoly. If you think otherwise, you do not know what it means.

Microsoft is pretty much a monopoly (although less and less), because even though Windows sucks, we have to buy it. There's no real choice (well, now there is, because of Apple, but let's say 10 years ago).

When a company sells a product that you need, and you have essentially no choice, that's a monopoly, and that's when they have to be careful.

Apple doesn't approach that standard with anything. So, what they do is fine. You want a different phone, get a Samsung. Tablet, the same thing. There's not a single market you have to buy Apple (I know, because I never buy Apple).

Apple is very, very successful, but they're not a monopoly. They're sleazy, controlling, and borderline abusive, but they can do that because they are not a monopoly, and it's legal. You don't have to buy Apple. Why anyone would is a mystery to me, except for maybe the 2012 iPad, which is pretty nice.
 
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Rolls, dice....a 5 I land on Park Place....dammit Apple owns that too....
 

Vladislaus

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[citation][nom]TA152H[/nom]It seems the uneducated readers here don't know what a monopoly is (Apple either, for that matter). Apple is in no sense a monopoly. If you think otherwise, you do not know what it means. Microsoft is pretty much a monopoly (although less and less), because even though Windows sucks, we have to buy it. There's no real choice (well, now there is, because of Apple, but let's say 10 years ago). When a company sells a product that you need, and you have essentially no choice, that's a monopoly, and that's when they have to be careful.Apple doesn't approach that standard with anything. So, what they do is fine. You want a different phone, get a Samsung. Tablet, the same thing. There's not a single market you have to buy Apple (I know, because I never buy Apple). Apple is very, very successful, but they're not a monopoly. They're sleazy, controlling, and borderline abusive, but they can do that because they are not a monopoly, and it's legal. You don't have to buy Apple. Why anyone would is a mystery to me, except for maybe the 2012 iPad, which is pretty nice.[/citation]
I ask you what is the percentage of music sold in iTunes when compared to other digital stores?
 

maddad

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As someone else has already commented, you do not "have" to buy a single thing from Apple. Therefore, they are not a monopoly. I make it through life without a single software or hardware product from or through Apple. Music? Amazon sells it, ebooks, Amazon, cell phones Amazon, you name it Amazon sells it. But then so does a ton of other places. The percentage of music Itunes sells doesn't matter, unless you bought an Apple product you are probably not using it. If you bought and Android product you use the Android market instead. DOJ is wasting taxpayer money on this one.
 

Vladislaus

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[citation][nom]maddad[/nom]As someone else has already commented, you do not "have" to buy a single thing from Apple. Therefore, they are not a monopoly. I make it through life without a single software or hardware product from or through Apple. Music? Amazon sells it, ebooks, Amazon, cell phones Amazon, you name it Amazon sells it. But then so does a ton of other places. The percentage of music Itunes sells doesn't matter, unless you bought an Apple product you are probably not using it. If you bought and Android product you use the Android market instead. DOJ is wasting taxpayer money on this one.[/citation]
So by your definition there isn't such a thing as a monopoly. Windows isn't a monopoly, Google search isn't a monopoly,... since no one forces you to buy or use anything.
 

jaquith

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Man I am sick of seeing bantering comments, personal attacks, worst profanity, and folks acting like an immature wackos.

Honestly, some of these news stories need to have comments locked-out. If you can't conduct yourself in a civil and intellectual way then go away.

Proof is in the outcome...we'll see what happens.
 

xerroz

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Looking forward to the DoJ smacking Apple down. It's just overdue. As for Amazon being a monopoly, I don't see it that way. Sure they sell practically everything but they're prices are reasonable and you can find the same product everywhere else so you still have choices - dozens of them in fact. As someone pointed out in the first page "I though that when a monopoly is broken prices went down, not up." Every customer would rather pay $9.99 or less for a ebook - pay less than paperback - than pay the absurd amount of $14.99. The $9.99 ebook is still the same ebook as the one costing $14.99 so I don't know what Apple is smoking that they think us customers have "benefited from eBooks that are more interactive and engaging."

Amazon is one of those companies whose customer service and products far excel expectations, and for good reason. Apple is just butt hurt the only way they achieve that type of glorification is through force and manipulation of people, market and competitors.
 

biggiebody

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A monopoly does not mean you are forced to buy something. It just means that there is one big company with no competition or not a lot. You didn't have to buy Windows in the past, you could have just continued using DOS. But Microsoft was a monopoly because they didn't really have any competition.
Now Apple overall is not considered a monopoly by text book definition, but they are a kind of monopolizing company. Once you buy an apple product, you have absolutely no choice but to use their apple apps or product to make it work efficiently. Unless you want to void your warranty or something. But apple forces you to use their products and only their products, it's almost like you're stuck in a contract with apple once you buy one of their products.
Of course you don't have to buy an Apple, but you don't have to buy a Windows base PC too, or an Ebook from Amazon. But once you do buy an Apple, you're stuck into buying only Apple things, which than technically becomes a type of monopoly.
 
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