The US Department of Justice filed its antitrust lawsuit against Apple today, with the supposed goal of “freeing smartphone markets from Apple’s anticompetitive and exclusionary conduct and restoring competition.”
Apple has another take, arguing that the goal of the lawsuit is to turn the iPhone into an Android phone.
An Apple representative today explained that the Department of Justice lawsuit essentially aims to make the iPhone look and operate like an Android device, a move that would actually hurt competition.
Part of Apple’s argument is that bringing more Android-like qualities to iPhone would actually eliminate consumer choice. Apple explains that part of the benefit of the iPhone is that it’s private and secure, and it would have to make significant compromises to those things if the DOJ is victorious.
The DOJ lawsuit, which you can read in full here, takes aim at the iPhone in virtually every aspect. This includes the App Store, iMessages, CarPlay, FaceTime, iCloud, and much more.
9to5Mac’s Take
When you look at it with this framing, it certainly does seem like the DOJ’s desired outcome will lead to less competition rather than more.
More on the US vs Apple lawsuit:
- United States sues Apple: Read the full DOJ lawsuit document here
- Apple says DOJ ‘threatens who we are’ as it vows to ‘vigorously defend’ against iPhone antitrust lawsuit
- Apple says it spent three years trying to bring Apple Watch to Android
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