Justice Department, states accuse Apple of holding a smartphone monopoly

[brooklynite]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Washington Post

The Justice Department and 16 state and district attorneys general accused Apple of breaking federal antitrust law in a sprawling lawsuit unveiled Thursday, plunging the tech giant into another high-stakes showdown over its alleged abuse of power.
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The civil complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, alleges the company has illegally wielded a monopoly over the smartphone market by cutting off developers and stifling competitors with punitive restrictions. The lawsuit squarely takes aim at the company’s most popular and lucrative product, the iPhone, which has helped catapult Apple’s valuation to over $2.7 trillion and sell its devices to billions of users.

Instead of competing with rivals by offering more affordable services, federal and state enforcers claim Apple imposed “a series of shapeshifting rules and restrictions” to “extract higher fees, thwart innovation, offer a less secure or degraded user experience, and throttle competitive alternatives.”

Through that conduct, the Justice Department and states allege in the complaint, Apple “built and reinforced the moat around its smartphone monopoly.” Enforcers and legislators have long expressed concern that by rigidly curating users’ experiences on the iPhone and its other gadgets, Apple has excluded rivals from its ecosystem — giving the company an unfair leg up on competitors.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/21/apple-doj-antitrust-lawsuit-smartphone/

[WA-03 Democrat]

1. Hunter and Tim Apple

Go get them DOJ!

[cstanleytech]

2. All Apple two things to really needs to do imo is open up the options

for people to install apps from alternative app stores. Followed by improving support for alternative payment methods for people using their iPhones.

[Ellipsis]

7. They lose security then and the side apps will take your data.

[cstanleytech]

11. Their current security isn't bulletproof as what gives it that illusion is

that they have the ability to do security patches for the majority of their phones. Android phones however are largely dependent on whoever made their phones and those delays can run months behind. That's assuming of course that their phone hasn't been abandoned for such OS upgrades after 1 or 2 version like most Android manufacturers tend to do.

[Ellipsis]

13. They have about 20,000 people involved in that process. That's why Apple takes its 30%.

People cost money. You don't have to make an app for the iPhone. As you say there are other manufactures. While Apple has a generous portion of the marketshare, they are not the majority.

[cstanleytech]

17. I believe that I read that they have a little over 70% and that it's still increasing so addressing the problem now with

some simple things as the two I mentioned can help mitigate it before it becomes worse.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

12. Yep...

Last edited Thu Mar 21, 2024, 12:45 PM - Edit history (1)

... my iPhone is my phone, think of the old landline phones. No security issues, just answer it when it rings or check your answering machine. I do not use my iPhone for games or FB, it is not a toy. I do not TikTok or Snapchat or Twixter on it, either.

And I finally had to buy an iPhone SE 3 last week. My iPhone 6 still works and looks like new, but I needed iOS 15 or higher. Why? SECURITY... the app for my new Cochlear sound processor needed it, my Gas Buddy app, too. And it only added $17.83 to my monthly T-Mobile unlimited data bill. I add that because many will say, "Apple is over priced". And here I am, worry free.

PS: My aunt(RIP Char) had an android cellphone and it was always getting infected, she would click on emails and/or FB messages and she was too ill to go with me to the Verizon store and get things cleared up.

[LiberalFighter]

3. I was watching Merrick Garland on MSNBC

Was pissed off when they cut off after he finished. Didnt get to hear what the others had to say.

[SarahD]

4. This goes back many years.

I can remember in the 1980s techies were angry at Apple because they built their computers in a way that didn't allow independent developers to build anything that would work with Apple computers.

[Ellipsis]

10. The crux of the issue is Apple takes 30% for an app to be on the App Store and the Apps are vetted.

[ItsjustMe]

6. The Cult Of Apple

[GoneOffShore]

19. YMMV - Think Different.

[MOMFUDSKI]

8. About time Apple gets called on their

monopoly. Proceed on

[Autumn]

9. They have only held that monopoly since Apple came out.

Oh well better late than never.

[JustAnotherGen]

14. This goes nowhere

[azureblue]

15. yep

It's simply because Apple sets the standards for apps that run on OSX and iOS, and security, unlike Windows, is of primary importance. Simple proof is the number of security apps for Windows vs the number of OSX / iOS. If there wasn't a need for them, they would not be written and sold.
This reeks of Windows jealousy.

[cstanleytech]

18. Windows jealousy? I doubt it as Microsofts attempt to produce their own OS for phones crashed and burned.

[ificandream]

16. Link to DOJ court filing

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24493966/doj-appleantitrustcomplaint.pdf

[Omaha Steve]

20. AFTER a review by forun hosts LOCKING

DUPE of https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143212829

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