“Don’t look now, but the role of the industry’s biggest bully is increasingly played by Apple, not Microsoft,” Mike Elgan writes for Computerworld.
“The most vociferous Microsoft haters slammed the company for being a greedy industry bully that used its monopolistic, clunky, copycat operating system to force software on users and coerce partners into unfair licensing deals,” Elgan writes.
“Don’t look now, but the role of the industry’s biggest bully is increasingly played by Apple, not Microsoft. Here’s a look at how Apple has shoved Microsoft aside as the company with the worst reputation as a monopolist, copycat and a bully,” Elgan writes.
Elgan doles out some real whoppers in his mess, including calling iTunes “the most nonintuitive application” on his Windows PC. Come on, Mike, get real. He complains that you can’t use an Apple iPod to listen to TV sound that gyms broadcast over FM radio when, of course, you can easily do so: iPod Radio Remote. Elgan even says Apple “stole the name for its iPod Touch product, according to HTC.” There’s much more similar baloney in the full article.
Elgan’s piece ends with, “My point isn’t that Apple’s growing bad reputation is deserved, but that Microsoft’s wasn’t.”
Full article, Think Before You Click™ (unless you want some laughs and wish to reward Elgan and his publisher), here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dwayne” for the heads up.]
Elgan’s piece ignores a multitude of facts and history, not to mention copious legal testimony and verdicts. Bottom line: Elgan’s piece is simply a quest for hits from a Microsoft apologist.
Let us know when Apple threatens some other company that they’ll need the “knife the baby” in order to continue receiving a critical product or support from Apple, okay, Mike?
Sore loser.
FUD Friday.
Do not give the site any clicks, please.
…there is this little thing about eliminating eye soothing matte screens for harsh and eyestraining glossy ones.
Not listening to users needs for both.
I say that qualifies as Microsoft like behavior because I can’t just pickup for another hardware vendor for a mid range machine.
Outside of that, no. Apple isn’t really bad at all.
Elgan is a used douchebag.
Please don’t reward him with clicks.
“Computer world is the new toilet paper?”
How in the hell can any body compare YOGOs with Rolls Royce?
They must be out of their mind, not jsut becuse both cars have 4 weells means that they are going to do the same job, the same way, and they are going to last the same and you will fell the same driving any of the, etc….
Apple made good products and they are growing because people actually WANTS their products. People who buys microsoft computes (OK, PCs with windows) are ignorants, with very low budget or they must use it becuse they are obligate in their companies. (pardon my spelling, but I write this with a crappy windows computer).
By the way…
Does any body knows where can I report a crappy apple seller? I have a huge problem with a store in Menterrey mexico called “Mac Gic”, they sell a old, used computer, and also a defective macbook to a friend, and they did not wanted to give us the warranty for that. Is there a phone number or email to report this problem?
Well…
If we all pitch in and buy you a second, non-glossy monitor, is there a chance in hell you’ll shut the fsck up about this?
It’s worth a shot.
As the technology sector evolves, Microsoft has had a hard time adjusting. The only thing keeping them going is their monopolistic market position. As MS Office becomes marginalized and their bloated operating system sinks under it’s own weight, smaller, more nimble competitors have the edge.
Without clicking the link, his list of complaints is nothing compared to what Microsoft has done in the past 15 years. No need to list them here.
“…there is this little thing about eliminating eye soothing matte screens for harsh and eyestraining glossy ones.
Not listening to users needs for both.
I say that qualifies as Microsoft like behavior because I can’t just pickup for another hardware vendor for a mid range machine.
Outside of that, no. Apple isn’t really bad at all.”
Maybe you should start a petition to persuade Apple to provide a matte sceen option for their MacBooks and iMacs.
‘F*ck Janet Reno’
so after years of claiming MS is not a big bad bully that uses a monopoly illegally, NOW that all used to be true, but Apple is the one doing it, and we should all be feeling bad for the former bully, MS, who wasn’t a bully until after the fact, and with only 80plus % of the market has your best interests at heart, despite their history, and therefore Apple is BAD, bad and evil and wrong, and think of the children of Monkey boy won’t someone think of the children?!?
this just in, Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.
Plonker!
Remember folks, it’s not nice to make fun of the retarded.
I agree completely with this article. The very name ‘Apple’ is derived from the Johnny Appleseed estate. Furthermore, we are researching as to weather or not he called the pan on his head and iPod.
I hope not. The last thing we need is another M$.
Just my $0.02
I don’t think there could be more different between Apple and Microshafted. While Apple has been known to throw luxury taxes on some of their items, (black macbooks anyone?), I believe Steve Jobs truly cares more about quality of use and the art behind the user experience….whereas Microsoftie cares only about making profit, and leaving a better UI for a future generation of the product.
I’ve been an ipod user since 2003 and have only owned one. I have NEVER bought anything on the itunes music store (because I do not believe in DRM or buying condensed versions of tracks compared to Apple lossless quality, etc.), but I use itunes all the time and have found no other player with the abilities it offers.
It would be a different story if Apple embedded the itunes store into using an ipod instead of allowing any music to be ripped from cds onto the player…that would be a microsoft method of business!
It’s much better to trash him here than give him the hits his article is desperately calling out for.
Ahhh…at least we have moved out of Denial… we are now admitting Microsoft IS a big bully….
This is healthy folks. Healthy.
Please see the various phases of grief in this article on suicide:
http://www.survivingsuicide.com/grief.htm
First stage is “Shock”. Then comes “Denial”, after acceptance of the death we leave denial and go into “Bargaining”
This is actually from the “Kubler-Ross” Grief Cycle:
http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/kubler_ross.htm
“Elgan is a used douchebag.”
Even worse. He is Rosie O’Donnells’ used once/never cleaned, used again with a Fleet/never cleanded, used a third time to pass a urine test/never cleaned douchebag.
So there. You can eat shit and piss vinegar all in one article.
Er, where am I going with this….
MW:real, as in ‘get some’.
It’s wether, not weather. Weather is outside.
Actually, he makes a number of good points though Apple apologists will deny, explain away and generally just cover up any monopolistic similarities between Apple and Microsoft.
Can I buy any device and use it with iTunes. No. Why does iPhone require iTunes software? Good question. Can I buy any device and gain access to the iTunes store. No. Can I install my own software on an iPod or iPhone. No. You can install Safari applets on iPhone but that’s not really quite the same.
Apple even takes the ideas of others and uses them, just like Microsoft, except it does a better job of implementation. Almost all UI features Apple has introduced can be found elsewhere and existent long before Apple implemented them.
I’ve always maintained that if Apple had Microsoft’s power they’d be way worse than Microsoft; and with the legions of Apple zealots ready to play the role of Apple SS Corp., onguard against any dissent, naysayers or embarassing truth telling, it may just be easier for Apple to get away with it.
Guess we’ll see if that’s true soon enough by the looks of things.
For those too lazy to click on the Kubler-Ross site:
“Getting stuck
A common problem with the above cycle is that people get stuck in one phase. Thus a person may become stuck in denial, never moving on from the position of not accepting the inevitable future. When it happens, they still keep on denying it, such as the person who has lost their job still going into the city only to sit on a park bench all day.
Getting stuck in denial is common in ‘cool’ cultures (such as in Britain, particularly Southern England) where expressing anger is not acceptable. The person may feel that anger, but may then repress it, bottling it up inside.
Likewise, a person may be stuck in permanent anger (which is itself a form of flight from reality) or repeated bargaining. It is more difficult to get stuck in active states than in passivity, and getting stuck in depression is perhaps a more common ailment.”
Apple is the new standard role-model for business.
I think I would love to work at Apple.
MDN please, ignore any further articles from Mike Elgan.
Hahahahahaha
j
My 2 cents
F-U
When MS gives me a refund like I just got for my iPhone I’ll think about it, ’till then its not even close.