Apple is allegedly facing an extensive antitrust lawsuit from the DOJ.
According to The New York Times, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is nearing the end of its investigation and may potentially bring a comprehensive antitrust case against Apple in the first half of this year. The focus of the investigation is on Apple’s dominance in both hardware and software services, and how its closed ecosystem has purportedly created barriers for competitors and customers looking to switch to alternative products.
According to a New York Times report, people with knowledge of the meetings say the investigation has expanded further than previously reported. Among other areas, its scope has allegedly covered how the Apple Watch is more tightly integrated with iPhone services than competing wearables and how it locks competing platforms out of iMessage.
Executives at Beeper, which was embroiled in a public spat with Apple late last year after the iPhone maker blocked the app’s iMessage integration on Android, reportedly spoke with researchers. Additionally, Tile, which has been making Bluetooth trackers long before AirTag existed, also argued with the DOJ. The agency is said to have “discussed” with representatives of banking and payment apps about Apple’s policy of preventing competitors from using tap-to-pay on the iPhone.
Meta also said that he had spoken with the researchers. The social enterprise is allegedly “encouraging” the DOJ to investigate Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) privacy tool in its meetings. Launched in 2021, ATT will allow users to block data collection by advertisers, which Meta says in 2022 could cost it $10 billion that year. NYT claims that researchers have also looked into cuts to digital purchases made on Apple’s iPhone, which Spotify, Epic Games and dating company Match Group have talked about in recent years.
The federal government currently has its hands full with Big Tech cartel cases. The DOJ has filed two antitrust cases against Google (one for search and one for advertising), while the FTC has sued Meta and Amazon.
