The US Department of Justice is going after Apple and their anti-competitive strategies to practically establish and maintain monopoly power in the market.
This pretty much resonates with my recent rant about Apples greedy practices by making their hardware almost impossible to repair (by pairing parts inside a device so that replacing them would cripple the device).
Here is the news on NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/apple-sued-doj-antitrust-monopoly-biden-rcna144424
The alleged conduct
- Apple’s actions are seen as stifling innovation by hindering the emergence of “super apps,” as defined by the DOJ, which could significantly enhance user freedom and aid in the seamless transition between different smartphone ecosystems.
- Apple’s policies are criticized for hampering progress in the gaming industry by obstructing cloud-streaming apps capable of delivering high-quality gaming experiences, thus forcing consumers to invest in additional hardware unnecessarily.
- Critics argue that Apple’s restrictive practices on cross-platform messaging apps are a deliberate attempt to lock customers into their ecosystem, compelling continued purchases of iPhones instead of fostering an open communication environment.
This is all about the software and the app store policies. But as I mentioned, I also think that their hardware is a disservice to customers.
Why is this important?
One may argue that replacing a part should be impossible due to security reasons: It would make it much easier to break into the system and using uncertified rogue parts to stifle the security of a device. I get that. But Apple has gone far beyond that (just see this example story of replacing a hall sensor in MacBooks).
I think people should OWN their hardware after buying it. Vendors should be able to service it, but should not be able to exercise this level of power over the customers property.
Without this, companies like Apple will never stop to expand the anti-consumer practices and use the walled garden to increase profits from the competition-free ecosystem they created beyond reason.
BTW: Epic just announced to open an iOS Epic Store where you should be able to buy iOS games. Probably this will kill Apple Arcade, because the license fees of Epic seem to be much better for developers.
Sources for more information on Apple’s legal challenges and business practices include The New York Times article on the lawsuit against Apple (Read the Lawsuit Against Apple – The New York Times) and CNN’s discussion on Apple’s antitrust scrutiny (Apple faces epochal moment with looming antitrust scrutiny | CNN Business).