Why is the government suing Apple? Look at your iPhone’s restrictions.
Washington PostMar 21
US Sues Apple for Illegal Monopoly Over Smartphones
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The Facts
The US Dept. of Justice filed a lawsuit against Apple in a New Jersey federal court on Thursday for allegedly abusing its dominance in the smartphone market to artificially drive prices up for consumers and box out competitors.
According to the complaint, the tech giant restricts the functionality of non-Apple devices and access to contactless payment for third-party digital wallets, while refusing to allow its iMessage app to exchange messages with competing platforms.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
It takes only an Apple device and another from a competitor to verify that all allegations in this lawsuit are true. While Apple has claimed that these limitations are in place to protect consumers' privacy and security, the company actually makes chat messages less secure and functional. Additionally, consumers aren't allowed to download innovative apps — including games and payment services. This lawsuit is crucial to better regulating Big Tech.
Establishment-critical narrative
Apple and other big techs are indeed dominant in some very specific ecosystems for now, but it's highly unlikely that this situation will hold forever. The explanation for this spate of populist, bipartisan antitrust actions relies not on actual monopoly concerns, but rather on political agendas to expand control over American businesses. If Apple does harm its consumers, it's up to them — not the government — to say.
Nerd narrative
There's a 48% chance that Apple will allow side-loading or other app stores on their iPhones in the US before 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.