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ethana | 8 years ago

Google is no angel themselves. What they did to Windows Phone is no different than Amazon's behavior. I'd imagine Windows Phone might as well died even if there were Google apps on it. But by actively preventing third-parties from porting their services to WP, Google intentionally tried to kill it. Now they now practically own the global market of smartphones. Not saying any of this is right, but I've less empathy for them.

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notatoad|8 years ago

>But by actively preventing third-parties from porting their services to WP

[citation needed]

The only history i'm aware of with google blocking app development on windows phone is when they sent C&Ds to people developing apps that stripped all the ads off youtube and played background audio. They also consistently take down and block android apps that violate the TOS in this way, and i don't see anybody saying that google is trying to kill android.

snuxoll|8 years ago

Nobody stripped ads offf YouTube videos - Google doesn’t provide an API you can use to display them in the first place and they had no desire to make a native application themselves to remove the necessity.

The background audio stuff, sure - that happened.

hota_mazi|8 years ago

If you do a Google search for "Alexa" or "dot echo", the first hits will be Amazon's products.

As long as this is true, Google is acting a lot more objectively than Amazon and its anti-competitive behavior.

pjc50|8 years ago

Shady anti-portability tactics against Microsoft is just karma.

pkaye|8 years ago

I'm sure Microsoft could have worked out a deal with Google. For example there were some patents for filesystems that Microsoft was enforcing for a while on Android phones.

jd20|8 years ago

Not to mention when Google blocked YouTube from Echo Show devices. This almost seems like retaliation.

mooman219|8 years ago

The block was because Echo Show devices don't support various features like ads. Also at the time, the YouTube block could be seen as retaliation for Amazon de-listing ChromeCast.

Buge|8 years ago

Google blocked Echo from viewing Youtube in retaliation for Amazon not listing Chromecast. If Amazon agreed to list Chromecast, all the blocks could be eliminated and the war could end.

yellowapple|8 years ago

Or when Google blocked YouTube from Fire TV devices, after which Amazon stopped selling Chromecasts. Or maybe it was the other way around.

This is - in other words - not the first time Amazon and Google got in a spat like this, and probably ain't the last.

Slansitartop|8 years ago

> Google is no angel themselves. What they did to Windows Phone is no different than Amazon's behavior.

That's why breakups or heavy regulation needs to seriously considered for these companies. They have too much market power and have shown a proclivity towards abusing it in anti-competitive ways. The market has developed, and I don't think leaving it unregulated is working anymore.