The US Department of Justice officially filed its antitrust lawsuit against Apple today, after years of preparation. Apple has already voiced its opposition to the suit and vowed to “vigorously defend” itself against the claims.
Top comment by Carol Danvers
This was bound to happen. Apple was the last tech giant that the DOJ had not yet sued over anti-trust issues. But I fail to understand how the DOJ can refer to Apple as a monopoly. Before the anti-trust lawsuit against it AT&T was indeed a monopoly in that the consumer had absolutely no choice of from whom they obtained basic telephone service. In fact AT&T was a protected and highly regulated monopoly because of laws passed in the 1930s. Apple, on the other hand, is a minority world player in both hardware and software. Windows dominates the operating system universe. Android dominates the mobile universe. Consumers can have all the benefits of modern digital technology without going anywhere near Apple and its ecosystem.
Many critics have for years claimed Apple is a monopoly within its own ecosystem. To me that makes no sense at all from a true “monopoly” definition. People are not locked into Apple and they can leave anytime they desire.
I suppose this is all about third party software developers and fees at this time but what about hardware manufacturers? Will they start demanding Apple be forced to lease macOS, iOS, iPadOS to any fly-by-night hardware company that cobbles together some cheap plastic box?
The full PDF of the DOJ’s lawsuit is embedded below and available for download here.
Here’s Apple’s response:
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.
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The full DOJ lawsuit is embedded below. You can also download it via this link. Happy reading!
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