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Apple's Would-be Monopoly

Apple error messageApple says no when I attempt to view one of its “Photocasting” pages with Firefox 1.5, the most up-to-date browser on the planet in most respects, and definitely the one that is becoming the browser of choice for many of us.

Photocasting with Apple’s iPhoto product is basically like podcasting with pictures — a relatively easy way to put your stuff on the Web for others to see. It’s a good idea.

But at the moment, Apple doesn’t want us using Firefox (and I don’t know what other browsers) to see the results. It insists on Safari, Apple’s own browser.

Kevin Yank calls Apple the “new Microsoft” — and in the case of online music there’s certainly some truth in that notion. I have to believe that in this case the problem is less mean-spirited. Apple probably rushed this product feature out the door, testing only on its own browsers. We’ll know soon, because if this exclusionary tactic persists, it will tell us mainly that Apple is more foolish than we might have guessed.

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