Rughlydrafted.com has put up a very interesting analysis of the popular fantasy that iTunes is some sort of monopoly, and poor, beleaguered Microsoft is the good guy.

This fantasy is a trick called ‘F.U.D.,’ which stands for “Fear - Uncertainty and Doubt,” a technique first introduced by IBM then raised to an art form by Microsoft and Karl Rove. Too many bloggers and journaloids fall into the trap of seeing simple-minded conspiracies where there are none.

“If Microsoft can serve as a lesson, and they should, Apple should be stopped before the abuses get too great and harm too many consumers.”

Windows wonks can’t seem to accept that Apple is finally taking back the field while their once sacred icon collapses to no more than a game company with too many lawyers.

First it helps to understand what a monopoly is:

“Microsoft wasn’t judged a monopoly based on its market share, but rather due to an inability for others to enter the PC operating system market due to the Microsoft price paradox. Windows wasn’t sold, it was bundled.

Even today, Microsoft reports that 80% of its sales come from licensing agreements with hardware vendors, rather than retail sales to consumers. The market isn’t choosing to buy Windows over competing operating systems… “

Read it all: LINK