Analysis of Microsoft in Europe: The Real Stakes Study - Essay Example

The argument is that the competing platform companies are not being given the chance to sell their products, as Microsoft is making people and businesses more dependent on the services that it offers in its bundle deals.

One of the biggest quarrels was that Microsoft kept including a media player in their bundle package, even though they had been told not. RealNetworks, which produces a media player of its own, was not getting the business that it thought it deserved, due to being pushed out by a more well-known company. The greatest assumption made throughout the case is that the abuse of its terms that Microsoft is the reason that the other companies are not getting customers. Microsoft is a more known name than the other companies, and people are more likely to go to what they are familiar with.

The issues that the other companies are facing may have nothing to do with what Microsoft is doing – it may have to do with the fact that people and companies are already more comfortable with Microsoft.Microsoft, as a whole, offers more than a lot of other companies. Part of the argument in the case is that the other platforms are being ignored because of the want for Microsoft. It can be assumed that people like the Microsoft bundles because they prefer just a single platform for everything on their computers. People can get more for less, instead of bouncing around with other companies. Microsoft itself should not be blamed if more people feel more trusting towards its services and offers. As it was stated in the article, “They argue that with the new Vista version of Windows and Office 2007, Microsoft is trying to extend its dominance into even more areas of the market—and threatening the open nature of the Internet.

” Other companies might benefit more if they followed the simple ideas of Microsoft. AlternativesThe other opposing companies can also form inexpensive bundle packages that their customers can take advantage of. They can also come to agreements with Microsoft about being included in their bundles. The other opposing platform companies can also go further with their advertising and make their products more known. It would not be difficult for them to become a household names. They just need to allow their customers to trust them.

Stores that are against the attention that Microsoft is getting can also stop selling their products and stock up more on the opposing companies. If they are against what Microsoft is doing and the popularity it gets, they can show their support by supporting other companies. This can, in turn, convince their customers that the other companies are just as good, if not possibly better.