US Sues Apple For Being an 'Illegal Monopoly'. Are They?

The US Department of Justice claims Apple is an illegal monopoly over the smartphone market by locking in customers and making experiences worse for rival products. Are they a monopoly? A new antitrust lawsuit seeks to change many of the ways Apple locks down iPhones into their ecosystem.

LET'S BE FRIENDS!

#apple #iphone #lawsuit

[CasualViewer-tf]

It’s not that I disagree with this but how the hell are we not looking at Amazon as a retailer monopoly first? They own and disrupt almost every aspect of a transaction lifecycle.

[creyous]

I don't agree with Apple being a monopoly, however I do agree that Apple has a lot of unethical business practices. As a tech enthusiasts, I love freedom so I'm on team Android. The good news for Apple however, is that their coffers are full. The DOJ is in for a long ride when trying to mess with a trillion dollar company. Either way, in a battle of a Clash of the Titans, I'm on the side of we the people, more power to us!

[Officialy-KECHIO]

They key point you missed about the watch is android allows you to buy and fully use 3rd party watches, iOS blocks feature like the reply function and reserves that just for the apple watch...

[datchulo]

Can we sue the US for miss handling our tax dollars

[martinhoelicker]

Hey Brian, i worked in computer technology for 25 years and had my own computer technology class for children as young as 4 years old. I began in the day when you setup or built a system you had to set jumpers. Today it’s plug and pray. I ran Windows and Apple computers and both Apple and Windows Servers. When cell phones came out I’ve been Android until 2 1/2 years ago. Now that I’m retired and Microsoft is getting worse I decided to bail windows and Android. My wife wants to stay with Android. I use Amazon speakers and cameras, I use Roku stick, Fire stick and Apple TV box. I still have my 2012 Mac Mini that runs great. I just bought the M2 MacBook Air 15 inch. I’m still using my Windows 10 desktop until it’s done. I’m retired but work part time for a very large corporations. The Feds enjoy their power and control. You bought your car because you like what they offered you. VW, BMW, FORD, CHEVY AND so on aren’t going to have what you want so you chose what you bought.

[nadeemabaas]

That’s what happens when a company becomes too successful

[vinny]

Because you never thought that you ever needed another wallet app (honestly, neither do I), does not means Apple should be allowed to denied devs to create their own. The problem here is strictly on the developer’s side, as they are being force with Apple as the middle man.

[Lucidvein]

As an apple investor and us tax resident.. I'm getting screwed at both ends by idiocy.

[og-umtv]

If they’re upset about a watch not being interchangeable between iOS and android, then why isn’t the same energy applied to game controllers 🧐?

[oldkid]

Brian, I think you should speak in front of congress and explain this to them.

[gxujltb]

The Apple Watch claim is one of the most ridiculous. I have a Sony mirrorless camera with an expensive collection of lenses. This makes it more expensive to switch to Canon. Should camera companies be required to make sure all their lenses are compatible with each other ? You can easily think of countless examples of large companies making products that are only compatible with their own brand. Another claim from the DOJ is regarding the blue / green bubbles because that creates social stigma to influence brand loyalty. If you want to link social stigma to antitrust law you'll have to bring in almost everything that uses this including industries such as automotive, clothing, jewelry, watches, wine, cosmetics, social media, and even housing.

[MikeyBats]

This lawsuit is like a little brother being mad cause the big brother keeps beating him in Mortal Kombat….

[blueskunk]

Not sure how a company with <40% marketshare can be classified as a monopoly. Messaging outside of the USA is almost exclusively WhatsApp or other third party. This hoopla boils down to App Store fees -- EA and Spotify dont want to pay the mall for hosting their store and infrastructure. And it comes down to games like Xbox being able to be run inside iOS. Some of the complaints are legit. But Apple is far far FAR from a monopoly, based upon the definition of the word. Lastly, do you want governments designing your software? That's going to hurt innovation.

[johnekopy]

I'm not sure if it has anything to do with a monopoly. But the reason I quit using Apple was all the reasons you talked about out and more. We all use the term Apple Ecosystem for a reason. Ultimately their ecosystem was too expensive and too limiting. They built a beautiful expensive walled garden, just don't look over the wall because everything else is off limits.

[frankmueller]

How about all the car manufactures which DO NOT allow Apple car play !?? Tesla, GM ………

[JonasViatte]

As an Apple investor, I’m very happy they’re getting sued. They’ve been bullying everyone, from developers to repairs people to their own customers, for years. They really deserve this and need to change their company culture ASAP, for their own good and their own reputation.

[hippieCO]

They are basically punishing a company for being successful and having foresight...

[Max]

Apple knows that if you buy an Apple watch, you'll lockdown to Apple ecosystem forever 💯

[smoothallday]

Yeah, my Fitbit does share it's data with the Health App on my iPhone. Crazy, huh?

[Xtechi]

Unfortunately yes, Apple does have many restrictions on users and developers.. But will removing these make the experience better for us?
And yes, other smartwatches work or used to work on iPhone, but Apple restricted many functions (including health) which is silly given that you have already said that the Apple watch is the best smartwatch.