[slick69]

Originally Posted by lgmayka

Apple hypnotizes its fan base, then manipulates and threatens the carriers into sucking money from other customers in order to heavily subsidize that hypnotized fan base. That is not a free market, that's market power (i.e., an effective monopoly).

Do you seriously think this way? I hope this is just hyperbole.

[lgmayka]

Originally Posted by slick69

I hope this is just hyperbole.

The comment about hypnosis is hyperbole, but the characterization of coerced cross-subsidies as monopolistic is simply a fact.

Please understand that I worked for the old Bell System. I remember all the arguments of why it wasn't really so unfair, it was really best for everyone, etc. I now realize that all such arguments were, and are, self-justifying garbage. At the press conference that announced the agreement to split up the Bell System, the chairman of AT&T finally told the Truth:

"Competition drives prices toward costs."

The equivalent contrapositive is that prices that do not reflect costs are anti-competitive. The current situation--in which iPhone customers on all three carriers are obscenely coddled with subsidies paid for by all the other customers--is clearly anti-competitive. You can call it monopolistic, or an antitrust violation, or just downright evil, but it certainly not a free market.

[Euphorian]

Originally Posted by Irishman42

I always find these comments interesting because Apple also copied much of what they have.

"We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas." "Good artists copy; great artists steal."

Steve Jobs

But yet he said he wanted to go Thermo-Nuclear on Android !
Makes a whole lot of sense !

He talked outta both sides of his mouth-
depending on the crowd !

[0dB]

You guys do realize that quote was from 1996 right? In regards to using the Xerox idea for a GUI interface. An idea that Xerox basically never even got off the ground.

[cruiserandmax]

Originally Posted by lgmayka

The equivalent contrapositive is that prices that do not reflect costs are anti-competitive. The current situation--in which iPhone customers on all three carriers are obscenely coddled with subsidies paid for by all the other customers--is clearly anti-competitive. You can call it monopolistic, or an antitrust violation, or just downright evil, but it certainly not a free market.

What is Apple monopolizing? Android owns more smartphone market share than Apple. How is Apple's share of the smartphone market any different than their share of the PC market? I just don't understand your comparison to the old AT&T monopoly.

[GoldenBlaze]

In the wireless world, everybody has copied every freakin body. SO WHAT! None of us are getting a check for it. Please move on to something else.

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