DOJ Slaps Apple With Antitrust Lawsuit Over iPhone Monopoly, Android Users Say It’s About Time

“Each
step
in
Apple’s
course
of
conduct
built
and
reinforced
the
moat
around
its
smartphone
monopoly,”
says
the
suit,
filed
by
the
DOJ
and
16
attorneys
general
in
New
Jersey
federal
court.

The
Justice
Department
said
in
a
release
that
to
keep
consumers
buying
iPhones,
Apple
moved
to
block
cross-platform
messaging
apps,
limited
third-party
wallet
and
smartwatch
compatibility
and
disrupted
non-App
Store
programs
and
cloud-streaming
services.

The
challenge
represents
a
significant
risk
to
Apple’s
walled-garden
business
model.
The
company
says
that
complying
with
regulations
costs
the
company
money,
could
prevent
it
from
introducing
new
products
or
services,
and
could
hurt
customer
demand.

If
the
DOJ’s
lawsuit
is
successful,
it
could
force
the
Tim
Cook-run
company
to
make
significant
changes
to
its
highly
successful
business
model.

In
a
press
conference
announcing
the
lawsuit,
U.S.
Attorney
General
Merrick
Garland
said,
“As
set
out
in
our
complaint,
Apple
has
that
power
in
the
smartphone
market.
If
left
unchallenged.
Apple
will
only
continue
to
strengthen
its
smartphone
monopoly.”

Per


The
Verge,
the
DOJ’s
lawsuit
accuses
Apple
of:

• Disrupting
  “super
  apps”
  that
  encompass
  many
  different
  programs
  and
  could
  degrade
  “iOS
  stickiness”
  by
  making
  it
  easier
  for
  iPhone
  users
  to
  switch
  to
  competing
  devices
• Blocking
  cloud-streaming
  apps
  for
  things
  like
  video
  games
  that
  would
  lower
  the
  need
  for
  more
  expensive
  hardware
• Suppressing
  the
  quality
  of
  messaging
  between
  the
  iPhone
  and
  competing
  platforms
  like
  Android
• Limiting
  the
  functionality
  of
  third-party
  smartwatches
  with
  its
  iPhones
  and
  making
  it
  harder
  for
  Apple
  Watch
  users
  to
  switch
  from
  the
  iPhone
  due
  to
  compatibility
  issues
• Blocking
  third-party
  developers
  from
  creating
  competing
  digital
  wallets
  with
  tap-to-pay
  functionality
  for
  the
  iPhone

In
a
statement
to

CNBC,
Apple
did
not
agree
with
the
lawsuit
and
said
it
would
fight
it.

A
spokesperson
for
the
tech
giant
told

CNBC,
“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.”

Android
users
have
been
eating
this
all
up
because
of
the
claims
they
have
accused
Apple
of
for
years.

You
can
see
more
reactions
in
the
gallery
below.