Apple Monopoly?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Isn't Apple a monopoly? They make the computers, they make the software, they have their own stores. Isn't this illegal in the U.S.?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18
    Apple is not a monopoly. They have 100% market share of their own product. How does that make them a monopoly?



    And no, it's not illegal to have a monopoly either.
  • Reply 1 of 18
    andersanders Posts: 6,523member
    I don´t think thats the definition of a monopoly. You will have to have a dominant part of the marked and use it to keep other players down.



    Apple could make the hardware, software, have the shops, produce the electricity, make the cables, and even have an apple stand by the road side as long as there is MS and other much larger players out there.
  • Reply 3 of 18
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    [quote]I don´t think thats the definition of a monopoly. You will have to have a dominant part of the market and use it to keep other players down.<hr></blockquote>



    actually, that's the definition of an illegal monopoly. monopolies are quite legal, you just have to be careful not to use your monopoly status to unfairly stifle competition.



    when you start to abuse your position to keep other people from competing in a market, then you get in trouble.
  • Reply 4 of 18
    thuh freakthuh freak Posts: 2,664member
    [quote]Originally posted by alcimedes:

    <strong>actually, that's the definition of an illegal monopoly. monopolies are quite legal, you just have to be careful not to use your monopoly status to unfairly stifle competition.



    when you start to abuse your position to keep other people from competing in a market, then you get in trouble.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    i agree. apple does have complete control over the macintosh platform (hdwr, and OS) but they didn't force others out of it (illegally). they did kill off clones, but they were voluntarily introduced by apple. i think they are a monopoly in the macintosh arena.



    ms on the other hand underhandedly put IE deep into the OS. they destroyed the netscape corporation by making IE integrated, without allowing netscape the same access. plus, individual programs made independant of the OS integrate into the system (like the entire office suite) in a way that outside companies don't have access. i hayt ms (microsoft and multiple sclerosis too).
  • Reply 5 of 18
    vikingviking Posts: 127member
    Thanks for the clarification.
  • Reply 6 of 18
    amoryaamorya Posts: 1,103member
    That one always cracks me up. Apple have a monopoly on things they make?



    How about McDonalds having a monopoly on Big Macs? Honda having a monopoly on Hondas? Bob's Hardware Store having a monopoly on things sold at Bob's Hardware Store?





    Amorya
  • Reply 7 of 18
    thuh freakthuh freak Posts: 2,664member
    [quote]Originally posted by Amorya:

    <strong>That one always cracks me up. Apple have a monopoly on things they make?



    How about McDonalds having a monopoly on Big Macs? Honda having a monopoly on Hondas? Bob's Hardware Store having a monopoly on things sold at Bob's Hardware Store?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    [quote] (from dictionary.com) <strong>Exclusive control by one group of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service</strong><hr></blockquote>
  • Reply 8 of 18
    vikingviking Posts: 127member
    Didn't know Bob's hardware store actually made tools. The Big Mac is meat, lettuce, tomato, and a bun...that can be copied without any problem from the law. Honda does not sell their own products. They are sold by independent dealers that compete against one another. There is no such thing as a Honda store.



    Boy, you really thought that one through didn't ya?
  • Reply 9 of 18
    rodukroduk Posts: 706member
    [quote]Originally posted by thuh Freak:

    <strong>



    ms on the other hand underhandedly put IE deep into the OS. they destroyed the netscape corporation by making IE integrated, without allowing netscape the same access. plus, individual programs made independant of the OS integrate into the system (like the entire office suite) in a way that outside companies don't have access. </strong><hr></blockquote>



    One of the main advantages of the Mac is the tight integration between applications, the OS and the hardware. For better or worse, I think Apple must be more guilty than anyone in this respect.

    For example, is the integration of IE into Windows any different from the integration of the new Sherlock into Jaguar? Its likely to destroy the company that developed Watson, which offers very similar functionality.



    [ 08-22-2002: Message edited by: RodUK ]</p>
  • Reply 10 of 18
    kecksykecksy Posts: 1,002member
    Serlock 3 is in no way integrated into Jaguar. It is a stand alone application that can be deleted by dragging the its to the trash.



    The way Microsoft bundles IE is different. Much of its code is stored inside of Windows. It is not a stand alone Application. If you delete the executable, a good deal of its code will remain and Windows may malfunction as a result.



    Not so with the Mac OS. Pretty much every program that isn't essential in order to keep OS X running, like Serlock 3, is a stand alone app.
  • Reply 11 of 18
    dfilerdfiler Posts: 3,420member
    [quote]Originally posted by viking:

    <strong>...

    Honda does not sell their own products. They are sold by independent dealers that compete against one another. There is no such thing as a Honda store.



    Boy, you really thought that one through didn't ya?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Uh. Then what's this 'Planet Honda' accross the street? You know, the one with the 50 foot tall sign with the honda logo on top. While perhaps not liable to the Honda stakeholders, there is definately a contract between the two parties. Large multinational corporations have incredibly complicated franchise arrangements. I doubt either of us have any clue how Apple Stores and Planet Honda's are legally bound to their name sakes.



    Monopoly? This is like an intelligence litmus test. Go ahead, weigh in on the topic. Then we'll all know just how smart you are
  • Reply 12 of 18
    vikingviking Posts: 127member
    Listen, you want to talk computers, thats one thing. You want to talk cars thats another. I do a lot of work for Toyota. I can guarantee that "Planet Honda" is not owned by Honda. If you look at the fine print, it will say someone elses name. The only place on the planet where car companies are allowed to "own" the stores or dealerships is in Japan. And by law, they are not allowed to set the prices, the people at the dealership set the price. Its kinda weird but thats the way it is.

    <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
  • Reply 13 of 18
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    There are plenty of "Planet Honda"s of the Mac world. Look... MacMall, MacZone, MacConnection, Mac Warehouse, Club Mac, Power Max, Small Dog, the list goes on. Apple Stores aren't like car dealerships... even if they were all owned independently, they're not close enough to each other to compete.



    Apple is just like a great deal of companies who do a lot of mail-order business - you can buy direct from them or you can get their stuff from a great deal of independent mail-order shops.
  • Reply 14 of 18
    spindlerspindler Posts: 713member
    Apple does not have a monopoly any more than Ben and Jerry's has a monopoly on Ben and Jerry's.



    Let's look at this from a logical perspective. A monopoly means you have nowhere else to turn for a function in your life you need to fulfill. If there is only one company in my area that can give me phone service then I NEED that from them even if they are going to charge me 4 times more than if they had real competition.



    No one NEEDS a Mac to get their computing work done. You could always use Windows. You may ENJOY using a Mac more than Windows just like you enjoy Ben and Jerry's more than the store brand. But you don't NEED a Mac.



    Another sign of a monopoly is that they have outrageous profits because everyone NEEDS their product. Apple makes a very modest profit for a company their size. They are just an average company. They are not pulling in billions like Standard Oil or Microsoft.



    Apple, however does enjoy the benefits of LIMITED COMPETITION. Let's say BeOS and OS/2 were successful and had good GUIs and lots of software. Apple probably couldn't charge a large premium over Windows because people would have other quality alternatives besides the Mac.



    Let's say there is only one Thai restaurant in all of Des Moines, Iowa. That restaurant will probably charge a little bit of a premium since you can only get Thai food from them. The market for Thai food might not be big enough for a second restaurant to open and try to compete. So the Thai restaurant wouldn't have a monopoly, because you can get food in lots of other places and it doesn't have some awesome control of a market to lock others out from competing. They will enjoy charging a small premium because of limited competition. Charging a little more for a unique, premium product is pretty standard.



    [ 08-22-2002: Message edited by: spindler ]</p>
  • Reply 15 of 18
    vikingviking Posts: 127member
    I guess if you want to learn something, you gotta find out for yourself.



    Monopoly



    "The term "monopoly" means a situation in which a business enterprise, in a particular market, is in a competition-free environment or enjoys overwhelming domination to exclude competition.





    When two or more business enterprises which do not compete in price are found to have conspired as a whole to achieve the status described in the preceding paragraph, a monopoly shall be deemed to exist.



    A "particular market," as referred to in the first paragraph of this Article, denotes the territory or scope in which business enterprises compete in marketing certain merchandise or services."



    So to answer my own question, no, I guess Apple is not a Monopoly. Thanks to all those who replied.

    I was epecially unaware that there were independent stores such as Macmall, Smalldog, etc.

  • Reply 16 of 18
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    I'm not really sure but I tell you this:



    If Parker Bros. ever creates an Apple version of Monopoly, I'll be the first one in line to buy it...



  • Reply 17 of 18
    serranoserrano Posts: 1,806member
    <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" /> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" /> <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" /> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
  • Reply 18 of 18
    bartobarto Posts: 2,246member
    At least at Slashdot we have filters that at least try and force ppl to say something worth the server space.



    Barto
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