The FTC to Investigate Apple?
By Harry McCracken | Friday, June 11, 2010 at 5:47 pm
There are multiple things about Apple’s recent behavior in relation to third-party development tools and ad networks that don’t thrill me. As a fan of free enterprise, however, I’m not thrilled with the prospect of the federal government possibly stepping in and telling the company how to run its business–at least not as long as the iPhone’s share of the smartphone market isn’t monopolistic. (Which it isn’t: It’s not even the best-selling handset.)
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June 12th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
harry…thank you for being one of the first tech bloggers I’ve seen who at least appears to have taken some econ classes. 🙂 the jump to automatically assuming that DoJ, FTC, or FCC regulation would be good for consumers is so widespread among the tech community is just maddening (to someone who is, with Adam Smith, a fan of the market system but not of individual businesses). And, that common cry of “monopoly” is just stupid–monopoly is the sasquatch of the economics world; always talked about, rarely seen.
Apple can be as stupid as they want, and customers can leave when the time comes.
June 13th, 2010 at 2:31 am
This investigation is a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Apple is not restricting other companies to compete against it. Has Apple stopped any other phone company from creating a smartphone? Not to my knowledge.
Also, does anybody think Google will allow iAds on any of its Android phones?
June 13th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
…the problem, of course, is that DoJ, FTC, and FCC are not in the business of helping taxpayers, but of justifying their salaries and increasing them next year (go back to Weber 1956, Economy and Society, should you wish).
/libertarianism