Wow! Who would have thought that a blog post rebuttal would cause this much trouble.  We talk about the three app restriction with Win7 starter, the possible new Mac Mini, and the whole rebuttal….thing.

Episode #80

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Ok, as promised, I’m going to vent a little.  For the first time in two or so years in doing this show I felt something strange after doing an episode.  After Episode 79 I went to bed thinking about the Psystar vs. Apple legal argument that Rachel did such a wonderful job arguing with me about.  Something had really bothered me about that conversation.  Bothered me so much that I had trouble getting to sleep that night.  Which is major for me since once my head hits that pillow….I’m usually out like a light.

I kept replaying the specifics of the argument over and over in my head.  More specifically, the point Rachel made about the legality of Apple’s copyright.  She argued that Apple’s tethering of the hardware to the software prevents PC builders to have another option to sell and therefore is anti-competitive.

This bothers me.  Right down to the core.

PC builders have two options.  Windows or Linux.  They don’t have OSX as an option because Apple restricts it to their hardware.  This has been the case since before OSX.  From pre OSX, through the PowerPC, G5 and otherwise, Apple has ALWAYS, locked their products down with the software.  Sure, they toyed with other manufactures in the past making clones…it almost cost them everything.

But now that Macs use basically the same guts as a PC, NOW we fall into anti-competitiveness?  My GOD! What is this world coming to?  Have we come so far down the rabbit hole that we have to litigate in order to compete at every turn?  The problem here really isn’t the fact that Apple is anti-competitive.  The real problem is that Microsoft is having this “identity crisis” and PC builders are the ones left holding the bag.  And when you are backed into a corner what does any self-respecting, red-blooded American company do?….you betcha…they sue!

In order to hit the brakes on this rant before it spins out of control I would like to bring up a point about Sony.  When a manufacturer like say….Yamaha, Panasonic, Pioneer, etc.  wants to build a Blue Ray player they HAVE to buy the processing chip from Sony (not to mention other licensing fees).  They charge these companies anywhere from $300-$500 per chip.  This chip only costs Sony about $20 to build.  Therefore, they have a built in cost advantage hardware AND software wise in Blue Ray players.  PLUS, an artificially created pricing out of the competition.  This is a generally accepted practice and yet it’s OK to sue Apple for being anti-competitive?

Apple is a unique company.  And quite frankly they are far from perfect.  But you know something, maybe this has more to do with the fact that companies are having a hard time competing with Apple.  Maybe things may change with Windows 7.  Who knows.  All I know is that this idea of opening up Apple via the courts is one of the saddest things I’ve heard of in the world of tech in a long time.  I can only hope that the case goes in Apple’s favor.  But if it doesn’t, I think it will be a very sad day in the world of tech.  A closed Apple in the long run is best for us all.  More on that some other time….

The Microsoft Store? Psystar wins a round? Plus, the difference in closing applications in Windows vs. Mac.

Episode #79

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