News Microsoft hit with €561 million fine

i guess M$ will have to take that amount out of their excess money we will never have time to use up budget.

 

Don't apple do the same with Safari? Why aren't they fined to hell and back?

 

So where will this come from?

Well that's easy it will hit the consumer in the form of increased prices. Cheers EU, another nice service you've done me, because I didn't already know how to download another internet browser.

Well at least the rural french farmers who don't own PC's will be better off.

 

I completely accept that definition but Apple won't even let me change the default browser on my iPhone surly that is worse than Microsoft bundling IE with Windows and like you said Apple's market share in the mobile sector is considerable

 

There is a difference I can buy an Apple ios phone or a samsung android/windows phone but not an apple android/windows or samsung ios phone.

When I buy a pc buy any manufacturer I can choose differing OS, s.

 

This is such a stupid ruling! I'm not a Microsoft fan by any stretch of the imagination, but if I want to change my browser I am totally free to do so; Microsoft have never tried to stop me or make the installation of anything else even a slight hassle. Most people who use windows are going to be officer users and people like my mum and gran at home who don't really give a **** what browser they use, just so long as they can send an email or two and mess on facebook. Those who want a little more are completely at their leisure to install an alternative!

 

I agree and I think if you are going to do a ruling for one it should be for all, MS getting fined because they are the biggest doesn't seem right.

It should be a blanket ruling the first time you open the default browser on any device on any system it asks you if you want to keep using it or get another.

 

No doubt the bean counters will have some way of making this a tax write off. Or use some other standard corporate accounting ****ery in order to turn this fine into some benefit for the company. Once all the funny accounting is done it will probably end up as a tiny cost out weighed by the benefits of having more people using Internet Explorer.

 

This sounds like a pure money grab by the EU. I would love to see where exactly this money is going.

I'm no big corporate shrill but that is an incredibly aggressive ruling, even knowing it could have been more.

 

Apples market share on phones is below 25%, mac + laptop is at 10%, even there tablet share is now only 68% nothing like microsofts 88% desktop pc market share.

Microsoft had to keep apple in business to stop the company getting split up back in the day.

If andriod hit 90% market share for example the eu commisioners would look into it and probably look at splitting it up from google.

It's why most companies don't push for high market share as the commission board don't look kindly on it.

Even googles search engine does not have the market share ms does in the pc sector.

 

It has more to do with the fact Microsoft had said they would include the browser choice screen and then forgot to include it in the update service pack.... as they had previously agreed.

Self inflicted really.

 

Calm down, it's not new, it's just that the EU takes a long, long time.
When the case started (what, a decade ago?), IE had just massacred Netscape, and there really wasn't an alternative (they came out later.)
By the time the EU forced MS to something though, there was plenty competition about, and not doing bad either.
Actually Microsoft has been obliged to do this sind XP SP...errr 2 or 3, then 7 and yes, they've conveniently "forgot" to include it a couple of times before.

 

I completely understand why you're thinking the way you do, but I think you underestimate the stupidity of the general public. People are gullible and ignorant - they will do whatever is either conveniently in front of them, whatever they're told to do, and/or whatever they are familiar with. Since Microsoft gained so much popularity, whatever Windows is shipped with is bound to get a massive amount of users. Why else do you think one of the worst web browsers in existence gained so much popularity? Why do you think the crappiest presidents end up getting elected? Why do you think the most terrible music ends up on the top 50 lists? These all apply to the same reasons.

As for people like your mother who don't give a **** what browser they use, that's exactly where the problem falls as being anticompetitive - your mother won't ever be (or attempt to be) exposed to what could be better, and therefore leaves other products in the dust, which in turn makes MS a monopoly. It isn't fair for developers who put good work into something that is deliberately pushed aside.

 

I wonder how many people in the EU have had the browser choice window come up and get annoyed at a stupid pop-up? Well done EU, you've just undermined the intelligence of your people and caused a likely increase in Microsoft prices.

EU... GFY.

 

Forgive my ignorance, but isn't KB976002 the Browser Choice update installed by default through windows update ? i never install it myself so IDK.

 

I wondered if they conveniently "forgot" to include it or if it was a genuine mistake. If it was a mistake I bet whoever was responsible got their marching orders.

 

Forgot or mistake result is the same one fired person one fine.