A report from The New York Times states that the US Department of Justice is in the final stages of its investigation and could soon launch its case. The US Department of Justice is said to have been investigating a wide range of accusations against Apple regarding business practices involving how apps are allowed, or not, to operate on its devices along with patent disputes, device tracking/data collection, and more. Investigators have reportedly spoken to many different companies regarding these allegations and are in the “late stages” of their investigation. It’s believed that the DOJ could launch its antitrust case against Apple within months.
Per Engadget:
“The US Department of Justice (DOJ) could file “a sweeping antitrust case” against Apple as soon as the first half of this year, according to The New York Times. The report says the agency is in “the late stages” of its investigation, focusing on the company’s control over hardware and software services and how its “walled garden” approach has allegedly made it harder for rivals to compete and customers to switch to competing products.”
According to Engadget and The NY Times the following items have been looked into but there could still be more that may be unveiled if/when the case moves to the courts.
- The blocking of an Android version of iMessage called Beeper was made by a developer who reverse-engineered iMessage to get it working on Android.
- A patent dispute with Tile which had its own Bluetooth tracking technology before Apple’s AirTag had been released
- Apple reportedly blocking rivals from its payment apps
- Meta is said to have “encouraged” the DOJ to look closer into Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) tool
- Apple’s charges for digital purchases made on the iPhone, something that continues to be a legal battle that Epic Games is involved with
Discussion (6 replies)
Join Discussion →I think this is warranted and long overdue
It is for the fact of it being a completely closed hardware. Then again... Its a private company dealing with private app makers, hardware is sold in a private transaction to an individual on and on. So idk.
I'm not sure that it's warranted, but my use case for a phone is that it excels as a phone, and is able to run the few other communications / information apps that I need.
That doesn't sound like much, but it was enough that I've sworn off Samsung phones for life. I did like early Google Pixel phones, but having switched to using an Apple watch, the switch to iPhones was inevitable. There's probably a Macbook Pro coming soon too.
Generally, I think Apple has done a decent job. Not perfect; I avoided their phone ecosystem for a decade due to it being 'closed', and that due to trying to use phones for more than communications. But as an appliance maker, I think they got it down.
From a legal perspective, I think we're at the point where the solutions to the 'smartphone problem' have more or less settled. This is a good time to take a look at how these companies are doing business and whether competition is being unduly stifled.
I honestly don't think much will come of it, other than perhaps Apple rethinking their relationships with third-party developers somewhat, and perhaps that's enough. And with Apple being in the crosshairs, and precedence set will likely be deferred to by others lest they tempt regulatory action themselves.
Yeah, but Apple commands something north of 50% of the smartphone market share in the US. At what point do you say it's no longer just a private transaction and starts to be anti-trust?
I guess the DOJ lets Microsoft get away with 90%+ of the marketshare of desktop operating systems, so there is some related precedence... but they get occasionally slapped when they try to over reach.
And normally I'd agree, governments should stay outside of private transactions. But once you go from just a private transaction to ... abuse of your position I think the pendulum swings.
I'd have to see the specifics to make up my mind on whether or not it is warranted.
Apple certainly does and has done a lot of things that I disagree with and think is taking advantage of their majority market position in the U.S, but the devil will be in the details here.
This - however - might explain why they recently relented on the whole iMessage/RCS thing. If the DOJ has been talking to everyone in industry, it sounds rather likely Apple would have caught wind of it at some point...
Oh there is zero doubt Apple has prepared a legal defense. Now we will see whether this defense is from a position of innosence. Meaning they deliver a snipers defense from a place of competence and efficacy. Or if it is from a position of weakness (or annoyance) where they just BURY the prosecutors with data born from evidence requests.
I suspect since the DOJ has been building the case a while... it will be from a position of mitigation as opposed to dismissal. Meaning APPLE knows they played rough and loose with the rules and will have some financial penalties in this.
Now if some C level execs get taken to jail... THAT would be glorious.