We’ve heard a lot recently about how the EU commission has been cracking down on big tech companies like Apple, with the Digital Markets Act causing sweeping changes to how the iPhone works, at least in the EU.
Top comment by octothorpe8
The Mac was around for decades before the Mac App Store even existed. I don't think the sky is going to fall if iPhones are allowed to download software from places outside the walled garden. And anyone who wants to stick to the iOS App Store is entirely free to do so. In fact, I'd bet a huge majority of iPhone users will just stick with the default.
But stateside, Apple is also facing regulatory pressure. Bloomberg reports today that the Department of Justice is readying a formal lawsuit against Apple to be filed as soon as tomorrow. The suit will claim Apple broke antitrust laws by restricting access to iPhone software and hardware features.
The claims of the suit have not yet been released, but are expected to revolve around the monopolistic power of the iOS App Store.
In the EU, Apple has been forced to open up the iPhone to support alternative app marketplaces, alternative payment systems, alternative web browser engines, and give developers deeper access to hardware features like the NFC chip. This was necessary to meet compliance with the just-introduced Digital Markets Act. (It’s unclear if the US will demand similar changes.)
Separately, for infractions around App Store anti-steering provisions impacting the music streaming market, Apple was recently fined $2bn by the EU commission. Apple is in the process of appealing the decision.
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