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Ballmer Pleads For Openness To Compete With Apple

Posted by Soulskill on from the outside-looking-in dept.

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?"

4 of 532 comments (clear)

  1. Who's the stupid one? by sa666_666 · · Score: 1, Redundant

    I'm just wondering, are Microsoft so delusional that they don't see themselves doing exactly the same thing? Are they really that stupid?? Or is it just a case of 'do as I say, not as I do', and expect everyone else to blindly follow them? In any event, they really have gall suggesting something like this.

  2. Re:But but but Microsoft! by the_humeister · · Score: 0, Redundant

    What the hell are you talking about? Apple has never, and will never do wrong at all. Everything they do is for the customer's benefit, can't you see? In fact, our Great Leader and Eternal President, Steve Jobs, has proclaimed as such so it is true. You're either with us or against us, and if you're not with us, you are an enemy to be crushed.

  3. Re:Not so much... by j00r0m4nc3r · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Express != Professional

  4. Re:Why? by gstoddart · · Score: 1, Redundant

    This is the same thing, Microsoft want openness from the likes of Symbian, Apple, Google, etc., which they'll follow with their "extensions", then they'll lock the whole thing up just like Apple's done. As far as users are concerned, this would be the same as the current situation, the only difference would be which company has control.

    Embrace. Extend. Extinguish.

    Cheers

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.