Lab+3

Lab 3: January 20, 2010

What do you think about the iOS App store?

The iOS App store appears to be yet another tool for Apple to prove it's dominance in commercial computing services. With iTunes leading the market of legal music, the fact that the application is just one portion of the broader monopoly Apple has over digital sales for entertainment causes concern. Any Apple product can utilize Apple applications with the newly introduced App store for Macs. One store, provided by apple which supplies 1000 mac apps and 300,000 ipod/pad/phone apps available only for Apple products.

Apple's innovation has proven successful, having a large amount of control over many things. According to James Stoup on Apple, "while it is legal to be a monopoly it is //illegal// to use that monopoly to ensure your position in the market, force smaller companies out of business or otherwise stifle competition," (AppleMatters.com, 2006). A practice which Apple is seemingly guilty of. The amount of both vertical and horizontal integration appears to lead to a homogeneous array of products all reflecting apple style while at the same time not replicating it or too closely following it, as it could risk. The specific rules suggest that Apple applications are prestigious and must reach Apple standards in order to be accepted. Upon reading the app reasons for disapproval, it appears that the selection of apps is very subjective and that the clauses allow apple to deny your idea or product as they so choose under their discretion and without much reason. The iOS App store is an innovative tool with the potential to be of great use to software developers but the overpowering concern of Apple to gain the largest amount of customers and uphold their prestigious image and monopoly proves to be a setback.