Microsoft’s Windows software bundling practices spark complaint from business coalition
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
A coalition of 30 companies has formed to take a stand against ‘Big Tech’ and the danger it poses to EU businesses and consumers. Specifically, while the coalition names Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, it most directly targets the Windows 11 maker in its actual complaints and demands.
You can see the multitude of statements from the coalition on the situation at its landing page, in which the companies involved in the group reiterate their dissatisfaction with Microsoft’s practices. Here is the coalition’s opening statement on the matter:
Microsoft is integrating 365 deeper and deeper into its portfolio of services and software, including Windows. OneDrive is pushed everywhere users manage file storage and Teams is a default part of Windows 11. This makes it nearly impossible to compete with their SaaS services. In a broader context, you see that over the last few years Microsoft, Google and Amazon have increased their market share to 66% of the total European market, with local providers dropping from 26% to 16%. Such behavior is at the heart of this growth of tech giants and must be stopped.
As for what the group demands, it doesn’t want a “gatekeeper,” which it defines as the bundling or preinstallation of Microsoft services on Windows or related efforts to “push” services that disrupt a terrain of otherwise equal game. He also wants “open standards and interoperability” so that migrations are easy for consumers. Although there is a lack of clarity on this latest request, one can imagine that it is aligned with common complaints to Microsoft in the past, such as Slack claiming that Teams and Office integrations made it harder for Slack to have a chance of attracting consumers. same as Microsoft services.
This huge Xbox “Quick Resume” update will give players more control
Microsoft is adding a new feature to Xbox consoles, allowing you to permanently store up to two games in a quick-resume state at any time. The feature is first heading to Xbox Insiders in the Alpha test ring before hitting the mainstream.
Comments are closed.