Of all people, Microsoft could do it. They have before. A Windows X with a appstore only would be a trivial variant for them.
Either way, it’s irrelevant to the parent comment: if you agree to the terms, they willfully defy them... well, you’re violating your commercial agreement.
What next, I sue amazon for discontinuing my AWS services when I start running spambots on it or some other willfull violation of their avceptable use policy [1]?
Its ridiculous.
The only ones winning here are lawyers.
[1] - yes, they do have one, and you will get suspended if you violate it. https://aws.amazon.com/aup/
Early market movers have an advantage and that will keep growing.
Another reason why many hospital systems, military, etc department pays microsoft to support XP. Those OS aren't "better". Most people using them won't choose them over windows 10 or Mac if given the option.
Windows Phone was already reaching 10% mark when they gave up, and were the Android alternative to many Europeans.
The proof being that in what concerns tablets, most people around here not carrying iPads, are carrying 2-1 Windows laptops with detachable keyboards, not Android tablets.
You have open source Android or Linux to start with.
As long as Linux can be installed on desktops you technically have a choice.
No.
There are massive barriers to entry for some markets, particularly platforms, and it's naive to indicate that 'some competitor will come along'.
Many markets are 'locked down' to the point wherein there is very little competition among them, and high tech gives us many examples of that.
Ed Colligan, CEO of Palm: "We've learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone, PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They're not going to just walk in.”
Those were fundamental market disruptions and it doesn't happen very often.
Some markets do that every 'generation' (gaming consoles) but usually not.
Laptops may have presented such an opportunity, but they were slowly differentiated from the desktop.
So 'new markets happen' and during that time, yes, there's opportunity for new participants ...
But who 'won' the 'new smartphone wars'?
Apple and Google. Literally the two richest companies in tech. (Or close to).
That 'new market opportunity' was championed by none other than the giant gorillas of tech (and business) says something about the nature of power and competition.
If Microsoft introduces wiOS (Or OS W?) in which you can only run applications you install through an app store, then users and developers will decide whether that's an experience they want and if it is, then an ecosystem will develop around it just as happened with Apple. If not, it will just be an expensive lesson for Microsoft while everyone remains on their preferred OS.
If it turns out all major OSes lock their users into app stores and there remains a significant market for users who don't want that experience, the market will be primed for another OS competitor to take that share.