Really BAD 3p games.
But I noticed it's not crashing the Nintendo Switch. That store is chock full of bad 3p games and the market isn't crashing this time.
1980's was a different way of living.
Apple and European laws have set the precedent for this happening on console.
Razorblade model is a concept that now has to be fought to exist rather than something consumers actively want.
Only the console warriors are vocal on this matter. Protect the device at all costs mentality.
I would hope that gamers would look at their wallets instead of a logo. Makes the world a more friendly place to interact with.
And you get to keep your precious device either way.
The razorblade model isn't about protecting consoles at all costs. It's about understanding how that model actually benefits customers. Our consoles would be costing $800 or even up to $1000 if that model didn't exist, there is no way most companies can realistically subsidize the hardware R&D, production & manufacturing costs at a scale of millions without running themselves into the ground...
...except companies like Microsoft, due to how much revenue they regularly pull in. And even they don't want to really do away with that business model.
You're just repeating altruistic messages that ignore a simple fact: the only way to reach that point in the market as it currently exists, is if one particular company happens to massively benefit from it, at the expense of others. It's one thing when it happens through fair competition and the customers themselves choose which product wins and which looses. This is a whole different thing altogether.
The main reason the shovelware on Switch hasn't dragged that platform down is because Nintendo barely promotes it for starters, and it's all digital. So brick & mortar stores aren't being saddled with tons of useless crap that isn't selling, and aren't dealing with companies who won't buy back their unsold stock. I think that's the biggest reason for the crash, so when you remove physical from the equation it's mostly mitigated.
But physical is still a big part of the market, at least on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms, for many reasons. So if what happens (likely) with smartphones ends up happening with consoles, the problems that happened in the early '80s would risk happening to some degree again since Sony & Nintendo make up the majority of console market share.
I was referring to Azure and Office. Anticompetitive practices for both is rather thin on the ground.
You don't become a multi trillion dollar company if nobody wanted what you sell.
Oh there were definitely anticompetitive practices involved with growing Office. Lotus 123 and the company that made the .zip compression standard among them. At the very least Office proliferation was bolstered by money made in Windows, which grew its market share through various anticompetitive practices (back when regulators didn't care because the tech industry itself was so massive and booming at the time).
Of course there are people who want to use their products but like someone else said ITT, that's mainly driven by businesses and industry, in a lot of cases due to legacy support and just out of long-term habits. Regular customers don't really have much a choice with PC, it's either Windows or Linux and Linux is still seen as the harder OS to use (a lot easier to work with today vs. decades ago however). In other markets like gaming, smartphones etc. where there is ample competition, Microsoft is one of the last choices.
