The New Bully on the Block…


Once upon a time, IBM reigned as the big, bad tech bully, crushing any competitor that tried to wrestle even just a little bit of its once-huge market share.

And then came Microsoft. And it steamrolled over any company, even its own software developers, that came up with a good idea by absorbing their functionalities into its operating system along the way.

Now it’s… Apple? An article in Forbes Magazine calls Apple “the New Microsoft,” citing the way that it is using its new round of fame and fortune to file lawsuits against bloggers who leaked details of up and coming products and to crushing attempts by other companies to bring out products that use iTunes services.

Not a nice picture for an underdog to have. Particularly for one that, once upon a time, commissioned a highly ambitious “1984″ ad showing a lone, feisty Apple athlete destroying the mighty machinery of a bullying Big Brother (a reference to IBM in its heydays). Then again, perhaps it’s because Apple is no longer an underdog. Co-founder and populist-idealist Steve Wozniak might even think that Apple has already sold out.

But that’s all I’m a-gonna say about that, lest Apple hands me a gag order…

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March 19th, 2005
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Winston Chiu
Posted on:
3/19/2005 at 11:44 am

Not that I’m a Mac nut (to stand in defense of Uncle Steve), but the life source of Apple is their product. Let’s face it, they innovate and the rest just copy. One of the most sensitive issues here are product leaks that hurt the “innovativeness” of Apple. If every single project that Apple undertakes will have leaks (while its still not ripe for commercial release), the others will just run their photocopiers and hurt the profitability of Apple (as the first to market). With these lawsuits, they’re just squeezing the blog owners inorder to find out who are those Apple insiders that are feeding the leaks. Why are people making this such a big deal? Is it because they won’t get enough leaks to feed their lusts for Apple’s new and upcoming products? Just listen to the tune of Apple’s iPod shuffle ad and you get the message of what Apple is trying to send.

Big Brother? Is Apple installing sniffers already inside their OS (ala Windows XP)? Apple was never the “Big Brother” type, just call ‘em the “Hippie Brother”.

W

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Art Ilano
Posted on:
3/19/2005 at 11:17 pm

W: Why are people making this such a big deal?

Good points, Winston. It is indeed good business sense for Apple to pursue the sources of leaks and protect its interests.

What people are bewailing is the loss of innocence that this imbues for Apple’s image. Apple used to be the friendly, playful, rebellious underdog. The one that broke the rules and got away with it. It was the original Virgin brand way before Richard Branson took the spotlight on the playful underdog image.

But now Apple is growing up and turning into a bureaucrat. And like it or not, a sense of loss fills the air .

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
iBernie
Posted on:
3/21/2005 at 1:30 pm

…but then again, everyone has to inevitably “grow up”.

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
Jason de Villa
Posted on:
3/21/2005 at 5:11 pm

Yes, Apple is behaving like a bully. Two or three years ago, when Apple wasn’t as popular and as financially healthy as it is now, I cried “Go, Apple” every time they did something similar as I took it to mean that they were fighting tooth and nail to keep producing “insanely great products.” Now, I cringe and sigh whenever they do that.

Still, there are two points in their favor:
(1) They’re no Microsoft. They might bully their way around trying to protect their products and their market share, but they have no monopoly to abuse in the first place and competition in the spaces they are in (music downloads, music players, computers) is pretty healthy. Contrast that with MS’s monopoly of the desktop OS and how they used (and still use) that to squeeze other players out of different sub-markets (browser, media players, Java apps, etc.).
(2) The lawsuit against certain web sites has been blown way out of proportion. If you publish rumor as fact, and if the only way that such “facts” get to you is by breaking the law (i.e., someone breaks an NDA), then be prepared to face the consequences of such actions.

Comment Number:
5
Written by:
Winston Chiu
Posted on:
3/22/2005 at 1:10 pm

Three years ago, there’s not much intellectual property to protect. Back then, the iPod is not as pervasive as it is today. Apple was nobody back then, likewise there’s a little interest in product rumors (competition wise). Right now, its the other way around. Like it or not, Apple have grown, matured and continue to grow.

People will never understand that unless you’ll be inside the manufacturer’s shoe. If you’re a company that doesn’t produce “insanely great products” and “never stops innovating” then hell yeah I’ll share my roadmap with you. Its the only way that you would protect your company’s future and the welfare of your “stakeholders”.

W