What market are we talking about? Android is a free software. Google subsidized OS development for Android phone vendors to be able to collect more data and support its ad business better. Is this not the case?
Yes, this is exactly the case. Android is Google's opensourced software that's being continously supported and developed by Google. And that also includes Google making deals with partners to install said operating system on their devices, making sure it's compatible across the ecosystem and providing long-term support.
If you order Google to abandon the project, you're effectively ordering to stop them from investing into the operating system while allowing their main competitor to keep subsidizing development of their iOS operating system.
Yeah, it only makes sense if we also require hardware vendors to support installations of other OSs. Which maybe we should do too, though it gets to be a more complicated proposal at that point.
I agree with the first part disagree with the second part. You cannot sell a phone without an operating system. One of Apple's most lucrative business is selling iPhones.
"allowing their main competitor to keep subsidizing development of their iOS operating system."
I do not think this is true. Apple simple spend money to develop iOS so it can sell iPhone. You could not sell cars without engines and you cannot sell mobile devices without operating system. The entire ad money subsidising X phenomenon exists because Google does it, very successfully. I absolutely dislike the concept of surveillance capitalism and I do not want to participate in this. Mobile phone vendors should develop their own OS and price their products accordingly instead of forcing me to consider only iPhone/iOS if I do not want to install some hackware or adware as the OS of my device. I want to pay for the goods I use and it is not ok to give something for "free" when free means that my entire digital life is sold for the higher bidder.
