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Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty / Apple / Tim Cook
In a stunning move, the DOJ is suing Apple over its iPhone ecosystem, and Android users are saying it’s about time.
Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty / Apple / Tim Cook
Spotted on CNBC, the Department of Justice slapped Apple with a landmark antitrust lawsuit rocking the tech industry on Thursday, March 21.
The DOJ claims Apple used its iPhone ecosystem to drive its “astronomical valuation” at the expense of the consumers, developers, and rival smartphone makers.
Per CNBC:
The lawsuit claims that Apple’s anti-competitive practices extend beyond the iPhone and Apple Watch businesses, citing Apple’s advertising, browser, FaceTime, and news offerings.
“Each step in Apple’s course of conduct built and reinforced the moat around its smartphone monopoly,” says the suit, filed by the DOJ and 16 attorneys general in New Jersey federal court.
The Justice Department said in a release that to keep consumers buying iPhones, Apple moved to block cross-platform messaging apps, limited third-party wallet and smartwatch compatibility and disrupted non-App Store programs and cloud-streaming services.
The challenge represents a significant risk to Apple’s walled-garden business model. The company says that complying with regulations costs the company money, could prevent it from introducing new products or services, and could hurt customer demand.
In a press conference announcing the lawsuit, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “As set out in our complaint, Apple has that power in the smartphone market. If left unchallenged. Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly.”
Per The Verge, the DOJ’s lawsuit accuses Apple of:
In a statement to CNBC, Apple did not agree with the lawsuit and said it would fight it.
A spokesperson for the tech giant told CNBC, “This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets. If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple—where hardware, software, and services intersect. It would also set a dangerous precedent, empowering government to take a heavy hand in designing people’s technology.”
Android users have been eating this all up because of the claims they have accused Apple of for years.
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DOJ Slaps Apple With Antitrust Lawsuit Over iPhone Monopoly, Android Users Say It’s About Time was originally published on hiphopwired.com