The platforms are constantly being expanded with new products and services: peripherals, navigation, music, books and films. In the same way , list to data Facebook , by far the largest social network, is trying to link more and more services to its platform. The ever-expanding platforms are shaking up the existing relationships in numerous sectors.
It is not without reason that there is a fierce battle going on here, even in the courtroom. In ongoing lawsuits against each other, Apple and Samsung (with Google in the background) have pulled out all the stops: from the rounded corners of the design of the exterior of the phone to the patents on connecting a call between two callers. It is exciting to see how this battle, in which Microsoft (with Nokia) is also involved, develops further.The battle between
What does history teach us
Java original logo
Earlier, in the 1990s, Microsoft successfully repelled attacks on its hegemony. One of these was hardware-independent Java , which could run on PCs, TVs, set-top boxes, smart cards, Macs and mobile devices, among other things. Java applications could therefore run ‘anywhere’. Around the same time, Netscape’s Internet browser was increasingly developing into a portal where users would spend more time and money.
Companies were able to offer their services via the internet together with advertising and information. Microsoft’s desktop software faded somewhat into the background in favor of the browser. Eventually, Microsoft managed to withstand these ‘attacks’ and integrated its own internet browser and Java caseno data (Active X) into Windows. Windows seemed unassailable and could make it very difficult for new entrants without this happening explicitly or being demonstrable.
Strong and untouchable platforms
The European Commission (‘nickel Neelie’ Kroes) has partially tackled Microsoft’s market power and imposed hefty iterative execution and strategic refinement fines for linking Internet Explorer to Windows. And eventually forced other internet browsers to be offered. But in the United States it did not get that far and they considered abuse of market power not sufficiently proven and they found that there was sufficient competition.