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Ballmer Pleads For Openness To Compete With Apple
mjasay writes "At the Mobile World Congress, Steve Ballmer took aim at Apple's closed iPhone ecosystem with an ironic plea for openness: 'Openness is central because it's the foundation of choice.' Ballmer has apparently forgotten his company's own efforts to vertically integrate hardware and software (Zune, XBox), its history of vertically integrating software (tying SharePoint into Office, IE, SQL Server, Active Directory, etc.), as well as years of illegally tying Windows to Internet Explorer that only the US Justice Department could undo. Indeed, Microsoft's effect on the browser market has pushed Mozilla to get involved in a recent European Commission action against the software giant, with Mozilla's Mitchell Baker recently declaring that 'A number of illegal activities were also involved in creating IE's market dominance,' now requiring government intervention to open up the browser market to fair competition. Putting aside Microsoft's own tainted reputation in the field of openness, is Ballmer right? Should Apple open up its iPhone platform to outside competition, both in terms of hardware and software?"
No. You're the stupid one because you don't even understand what is being said here.
To understand more, read this guy's comment:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1136093&cid=26940601
"Microsoft is not asking for source code here. They just want to be able to publish applications for that platform. In fact, they are not asking for anything more on that platform then they permit for Windows or the Xbox."
Well, I didn't say that.
The iPod is a different type of device. Businesses don't have any need for mp3 players but they do for cellphones and portable computers.
The story will be much much different this time. Sure, a few businesses will buy the total lock-in that Apple offers but most of them don't want to be locked into a single vendor, especially one such as Apple who doesn't give a shit about interoperability.
By not allowing anything that competes with Apple's own software. That means: no better web browser, no better email program, no better calendar, etc.
That's a valid complaint, but it's apple's toy and besides, Ballmer doesn't have a better product, anyway.
"We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
It's apple's product and marketplace, okay? Apple set the thing up, they get to set the rules.
"We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"