Backup Anytime

Anti trust (even with the best of intentions) has a way of complicating business. Microsoft have signed a deal with HP (sum not disclosed) which will see Microsoft paying HP to make Microsoft’s search engine (Live Search) the default search platform on Microsoft’s operating system on HP computers.
Yes maybe you should read the opening paragraph again. I wrote it and I had to read it a number of times.
One logical conclusion one could be forgiven for making here is that the upshot of anti trust regarding how Microsoft ships its software is that it gives a cut to another hugely successful company which has achieved market dominance for a number of products but in a somewhat different arena.

Are we now saying that monopolies are ok if oligarchs or cross industry monopolists assist each other?
In fairness to Microsoft it must feel sore to have to pay someone else for allowing you to alter what is effectively the appearance of your own product.
One can understand Google paying Dell as Google have no input in the operating system or browser but Microsoft produced both.

Of course, some will believe that Microsoft should not be allowed to do this as they are effectively buying the right to do what the law decided they shouldn’t. That however would be an inconsistent stance given everyone else in the business is teaming up in hardware search partnerships.