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Want to read Harry Potter on your iPad? There's no app for that.
Apple's trying to force all online booksellers, magazine publishers and movie rental sites to only sell stuff for iPhones and iPads through the App Store. For publishers, sure, the millions of iFreaks out there represent a huge, wealthy and upscale market - but to reach them you have to pay Apple 30 percent of any subscription fee.
Amazon, Kobo and others have stopped selling content directly through the App Store . This means more clicks and typing before you can get you goodies.
Google went even further. Google eBooks - which just landed an exclusive deal with JK Rowling to publish the Harry Potter series online - has pulled its e-reader app from Apple's App Store.
Crucio!
Sorry muggles.
I'm glad Google held the line on this. A classic example of why competition is so important; it holds back abusive and monopolistic behavior.
Kudos to Google and Financial Times for finding ways around Apple's bully tactics.
Watch what happens when AT&T is allowed to buy T-Mobile under the classic false claim that customers will benefit from "economies of scale". That is a load of BS, what it really means is more layoffs for redundant positions and higher fees.
Why do we keep falling for the same tricks?
