According to Neowin , the DOJ said that Apple has tried to maintain its leadership position in the US by violating antitrust laws, not just relying on its achievements. Specifically, the DOJ believes that Apple uses exclusionary, anti-competitive behavior that harms consumers and developers. Apple has consolidated its power not by making its products better, but by making other products worse.
Apple's actions were determined to be monopolistic in nature, causing harm to consumers.
The DOJ argues that consumers are being harmed by Apple because of less choice, higher prices and fees, lower-quality smartphones, apps, and accessories, and less innovation from Apple and its competitors. Not only that, but developers have been forced to follow rules that “insulate Apple from competition.”
"First, Apple imposes contractual restrictions and fees that limit the features and functionality that developers can provide to iPhone users," the DOJ said. "Second, Apple selectively restricts access to connection points between third-party apps and the iPhone operating system, impairing the functionality of non-Apple apps and accessories. As a result, for nearly 15 years, Apple has collected taxes in the form of a 30% commission on the price of any app downloaded from the App Store as well as in-app purchases. Apple can demand these fees from companies of all sizes."
Apple is also accused of blocking the emergence of new app categories, including cloud streaming apps and super apps, which undermine the reliability of the Apple ecosystem. The DOJ also brought up iMessage, alleging that Apple intentionally made it difficult for Android users to chat by reducing the functionality of its own messaging app and that of third-party messaging apps.
Another area of concern is Apple Wallet. The DOJ said Apple encouraged companies to join Apple Wallet but then banned them from developing other payment products and services for iPhone users. They said Apple blocked third-party developers from creating digital wallets that used tap-to-pay functionality, which became a major drawback.
The DOJ argues that this type of monopolistic behavior harms the free and fair markets on which it believes the American economy relies. It also harms manufacturers, workers, and customers.
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