28. An Expensive Error

http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2013/03/microsoft

              The article "Microsoft: An Expensive Error" was written by economist and columnist Joseph Schumpeter. The article talks about how the giant Microsoft was fined a huge amount of money (about $732 million) by European Union's antitrust regulators. Apparently the problem was that Microsoft had broken a promise of letting customers choose which web browser they would like to use. Such a "tradition" had been established in 2009 because of antitrust pressures. Microsoft explained that the absence of freedom of choice was due to a technical error. Microsoft Internet Explorer, once being the predominant web browser with 64%, now was down to 30% - a fifty percent decrease. The downfall is primarily because of the surging of new competitors such as Chrome, Safari, and Firefox which have bettered their stability and user experience. They have also been the pioneers of multiple tabs and private browsing.
              The author of the article uses several different rhetorical devices to enhance his writing. His
purpose is predominantly informative and he has a very pitiful, yet formal tone. His language is very straightforwardly informative and descriptive. The author makes use of a few analogies such as the first sentence: "Variety is the spice of life."The author also uses a cause and effect structure: the cause is Microsoft not letting its customers choose the web browser they want. The effect is that antitrust supporters fine the company with almost a billion dollars. Another cause and effect is that because new competitors emerge as strong candidates (with much better web browsing experience, easier, more productive, and faster), Microsoft has experienced a decrease of about 50%. The author uses a lot of examples and statistics and other facts to create a more reliable environment. The end of the article- the last sentence- seems to be a subtle criticism of Microsoft and its unprepared posture.