BucmaTemar

Not really. MSFT basically destroyed an existing competitor (netscape) by putting IE in every copy of windows. They used their monopoly in desktop OS to get a near monopoly in web browsers. They also did fun things like make OEM's pay for windows licenses for every machine sold or would raise the price of licenses OEM's did want. So... you bought a machine to put Linux on, you still paid for windows.

Apple on the other hand, makes a phone that has a controlled market for applications. There isn't a pre-existing competitor there that they are destroying, so it's not really the same.

The success of other smartphones actually works in Apple's favor here. There's nothing wrong with Apple having a monopoly on Apple products. What is wrong would be having a monopoly on all smartphones, then abusing that monopoly to corner the smartphone web browser market.

What Apple is doing, is pretty much the same thing that all of the game console makers do. You can't easily get software for a Wii that Nintendo doesn't approve of... Same with Sony, and, of course, MSFT on the XBOX. [yes, you can buy a Wii game at walmart... just not one that Nintendo doesn't want to license.]

That's great when it's someone else's industry, in this case farming. What happens when tomorrow, the government mandates that all computer code be registered, digitally signed and closed source, for safety reasons, of course?

I WANT my computer to be safer. If that means only large companies can compete, so be it.