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I’ll ignore the fact that the title of the PCWorld article, “Apple’s iPhone and iPod Monopolies Must Go”, is an obvious attempt to draw readers to it. (Heck, it worked on me didn’t it?)

I’ll ignore the fact that the author does the requisite “I’m not saying I don’t like Apple, I do BUT…..” that is so much a part of these articles.

What I won’t ignore is the fact that he is just dead wrong.

The article starts with…

With a year and 1.5 billion downloads under its belt, maybe its time for Apple’s App Store — and Music Store — to get some competition. Whether Apple likes it or not.

Is it really in customers’ best interest for Apple to have such tight control over what iPhone and iPod users can buy? Of course not.

With the Obama Justice Dept. seemingly looking for evil monopolies to take apart, maybe Apple would be a good place to start.

While I’m not sure a company controlling what applications goes on a device they designed and sold qualifies as a monopoly, I’ll let that statement slide. Or I would if he did not go on in the next paragraph to write…

It’s hard to say someone else couldn’t do at least as good a job as Apple in bringing iPhone and iPod touch apps to market.

It’s not “hard to say”, it is so obvious that… there is NO NEED TO SAY IT. Other companies are opening app stores too. In fact, we now live in a world in which no self-respecting device manufacturer doesn’t include an application store as part of the product line. (In a conversation with Truphone’s CEO a few months ago I was told they will ONLY develop their client for a device with WiFi AND an app store!) Many others have been trying to develop an app store like Apple’s and no one has come close.

So YES, it is hard to say someone else couldn’t do at least as good a job as Apple in bringing iPhone and iPod touch apps to market because… they haven’t. Look, the App Store is flawed… big time… we all know that, but it is still the best thing going right now.

Finally he writes…

But, does this justify Apple being essentially the sole source for iPhone and iPod touch applications? I don’t think so.

To which I say… nonsense. If Apple designs the device and sets it up to work one way there is no reason they can’t control what apps go on it to keep it functioning the way they want it to.

Don’t like it? There are choices. Either jailbreak or… and this is a biggie… DON’T FRIGGIN’ BUY IT!

Seriously, no one puts a gun to anyone else’s head and says “You must buy an iPhone.” If you want an iPhone buy an iPhone. But then don’t whine about being locked into a system that requires the use of the App Store, when you bought the device knowing full well that this was the deal.

Look, I’m not suggesting that there are not issues with monopolies. Heck, I lived through the AT&T divestiture with my dad being intimately involved in the process. (No, I do not know the details of it as that was not something he ever shared, but I do know the absurd number of hours he spent during the process.) Monopolies are bad for consumers and bad for innovation.  This, however, is not a monopoly.  This is a platform with certain specs and requirements which are part of buying into using the platform.

Would there be an issue if the ONLY phone you could get on AT&T was the iPhone? Yes. But that isn’t the case.

Would it be an issue if the only phone that got reception in your town was an iPhone so you were forced to get one if you wanted a cellphone? Sure. But that isn’t the case either.

This is not one company standing in the way of another company doing business. Far from it. This is one company doing it so well that other companies can’t compete against their… success! not monopoly… success!

There is nothing to say another company can’t make an awesome mp3 device that would make everyone abandon their iPods. Yet a recent survey showed that nearly 100% of teens plan to make an iPod their next mp3 player. MP3 monopoly? Nope. Apple just makes a better mousetrap than anyone else.

In the same way, there isn’t anything holding any other company back from launching a device and an App Store that is better than Apple’s offering. They just haven’t and, at least it appears to be the case, they won’t any time soon.

Want an iPhone? Great! But know that the App Store and Apple’s control over it, flawed as they are, are part of the deal. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it.

Monopoly… nope
Sour grapes… yup