Na de onzinnige argumenten over de prijsstrategie van MS in de verdediging van Mikroschoft nu wat betere info uit het verhoor van ene professor Fisher:
David Boies asked him to give the bases for his conclusion that Microsoft had monopoly power in PC operating systems. Fisher replied that when OEMs were asked what would they do if Microsoft raised its prices: "These are the people who, when asked if Microsoft were to raise its price, where would they go? And the answer was no, no, no, they would stay with Windows."There isn't any other choice. That's what the market demands. One of them is, as I already testified, write a letter to Microsoft that says, 'if you were not basically'--in substance--'if you were not the only game in town, we certainly wouldn't deal with you,' but they are the only game in town." Fisher also drew attention to market share data: "The notion that operating systems such as Linux or Beos or OS/2 or even Apple are really going to succeed in taking away much, if any, of the business from Microsoft Windows, is a joke. Of course it's not true." It was reassuring to hear being said what everyone in the industry already knows to be true.
Fisher also noted that the substantial price discrimination in OS prices to OEMs "is an indicator of some market power". He continued: "I have looked at what's happened to Microsoft's operating system price over time, and it isn't falling, and I don't believe it's falling even on a quality-corrected basis. And for that matter, it isn't even constant. It's rising, and Microsoft appears to have set its price without regard, not for competition."
Zie The Register voor meer sappige details.
