Apple has responded to the Department of Justice lawsuit that has been expected for some time now. In the statement, Apple says the lawsuit threatens its identity and it will vigorously defend itself from it:
At Apple, we innovate every day to make technology people love—designing products that work seamlessly together, protect people’s privacy and security, and create a magical experience for our users. 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. We believe this lawsuit is wrong on the facts and the law, and we will vigorously defend against it.
The statement comes at the same time that the Department of Justice formally announces its lawsuit against Apple over alleged monopolistic practices around the iPhone.
The antitrust lawsuit is filed by the U.S. Department of Justice as well as 17 states. U.S. Attorney General Garland justifies the lawsuit by saying Apple “will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly” if left unchallenged.
The lawsuit specifically targets Apple for what the DOJ characterizes as limiting app growth, limited iPhone compatibility with non-Apple smartwatches, excluding certain messaging apps and more.
Other details appear outdated, like accusing Apple of suppressing mobile cloud streaming services. Apple changed its policy against cloud gaming services earlier this year.
Still, the lawsuit seems to characterize every competitive iPhone move Apple makes as being anti-competitive. This includes features like CarPlay, FaceTime, news and entertainment subscriptions, location services, and more.
One particularly interesting claim is that Apple discourages families from having kids use Android phones through anti-competitive practices.
As mentioned above, Apple will obviously challenge the DOJ in court over the iPhone anti-trust accusations. Expect this process to take multiple iPhone release cycles.
You can read the 88-page lawsuit here.
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