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Apple has kept an illegal monopoly over smartphones in US, Justice Department says in antitrust suit
https://apnews.com ^ | 3/21/2024 | MICHAEL LIEDTKE, LINDSAY WHITEHURST AND MIKE BALSAMO

Posted on 03/21/2024 8:33:24 AM PDT by bitt

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Thursday announced a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Apple, accusing the tech giant of engineering an illegal monopoly in smartphones that boxes out competitors and stifles innovation.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New Jersey, alleges that Apple has monopoly power in the smartphone market and uses its control over the iPhone to “engage in a broad, sustained, and illegal course of conduct.”

The lawsuit — which was also filed with 16 state attorneys general — is the latest example of the Justice Department’s approach to aggressive enforcement of federal antitrust law that officials say is aimed at ensuring a fair and competitive market, even as it has lost some significant anticompetition cases.

Apple called the lawsuit “wrong on the facts and the law” and said it “will vigorously defend against it.”

President Joe Biden has called for the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission to vigorously enforce antitrust statutes. The increased policing of corporate mergers and business deals has been met with resistance from some business leaders who have said the Democratic administration is overreaching, but it’s been lauded by others as long overdue.

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: antitrust; antitrustsuit; apple; bidenadm; monopoly; smartphones
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To: Theo

“Apple steals a lot of ideas from Android phones”? Seriously? Are you new to the Smartphone world?


121 posted on 03/22/2024 8:35:00 AM PDT by TheBattman (Democrats-Progressives-Marxists-Socialists - redundant labels.)
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To: xp38

Monopoly implies more than simply market share. It includes the methodology to get to that market share - and how it keeps it.

Has Apple actively manipulated markets to prevent competitive devices and operating systems off the market? Say Apple were to buy the biggest phone carriers then make them Apple devices-only... that might be evidence of monopolistic practices.


122 posted on 03/22/2024 8:37:22 AM PDT by TheBattman (Democrats-Progressives-Marxists-Socialists - redundant labels.)
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To: hanamizu

With apologies to Matt Walsh...

#WhatIsAMonopoly


123 posted on 03/22/2024 8:37:58 AM PDT by TheBattman (Democrats-Progressives-Marxists-Socialists - redundant labels.)
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To: Yo-Yo

BINGO


124 posted on 03/22/2024 8:38:19 AM PDT by TheBattman (Democrats-Progressives-Marxists-Socialists - redundant labels.)
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To: Sgt_Schultze

I just say “Hey Siri, call Wife” and it calls my wife...


125 posted on 03/22/2024 8:39:26 AM PDT by TheBattman (Democrats-Progressives-Marxists-Socialists - redundant labels.)
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To: bitt

All yall who use an Android smartphone... how did you accomplish that apparently nigh-impossible achievement of NOT buying or operating an Apple device? Apparently you need a trophy or something, according to this worthless Federal Government.

A AG that its more concerned with smartphone competition than he is that nearly a million illegal invaders are crossing the US Southern border every month - and now a growing number across the Northern border, from what I am hearing...

But yeah - lets pick a fight with Apple because they make it impossible to buy and use anything but Apple... (or so they claim).


126 posted on 03/22/2024 10:43:23 AM PDT by TheBattman (Democrats-Progressives-Marxists-Socialists - redundant labels.)
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To: roadcat

Clearly we are not communicating, I thought you were unhappy with something and that Droid did it better. We have no quarrel I have been 100% Apple for 40 years. Well I did venture into products that Apple didn’t provide like Windows and Windows CE, but always chucked them as soon as Apple had something available. I don’t go looking for better stuff than Apple makes because if it doesn’t run Apple OS I am not interested period.


127 posted on 03/22/2024 10:50:01 AM PDT by itsahoot (Many Republicans are secretly Democrats, no Democrats are secretly Republicans. Dan Bongino.)
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To: itsahoot
Clearly we are not communicating, I thought you were unhappy with something and that Droid did it better.

Nope, not with me. It's the other guy, Sgt_Schultz, that you had the back and forth with. I said "... on both my Watch and iPhone, very easy. Just use Siri." in response to your "Dang straight it is just too hard to say call mom.".

I've been a long time user of Apple products, since 1977, and still have some of the earliest products and belonged to clubs from 1977 with earliest creators of products. So not unhappy with Apple products. I was an engineer working on IBM products, and later was an NT and Windows administrator, as well as working on several mini products (Wang, IVPhase, etc.), and also worked with UNIX stuff. I primarily use Apple stuff, although I do have a Windows 11 laptop which I don't like using. So I agree, no quarrel.

128 posted on 03/22/2024 12:02:39 PM PDT by roadcat
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To: TheBattman

I bought my first mobile phone during grad school in the 1990s.

I don’t have time to research examples, so I just asked ChatGPT to do my research for me. This is what it kicked out:


Notifications Drawer: Android was the first to introduce a pull-down notifications drawer, a feature that Apple later integrated into iOS with its Notification Center.

Third-party Keyboards: Android has supported third-party keyboards for much longer than iOS, allowing users more customization options for their typing experience. Apple introduced this capability with iOS 8 in 2014.

Widgets on Home Screen: Android has allowed widgets on the home screen right from its early versions, offering users the ability to access app functionalities directly from the home screen. Apple introduced widgets to the iPhone’s home screen with iOS 14 in 2020.

Customizable Control Center: Android’s quick settings in the notifications drawer have been customizable for years, allowing users to easily toggle settings like WiFi, Bluetooth, and more. Apple later added similar customization options to the Control Center in iOS.

Multi-Window Support/Split Screen: Android introduced multi-window support allowing users to run two apps side by side on the same screen. This feature was later introduced by Apple as Split View on iPads and has since made its way to iPhones in a limited capacity.

Dark Mode: Android apps and custom ROMs have supported dark themes for years. Google officially introduced a system-wide dark mode with Android 10. Apple released its system-wide Dark Mode with iOS 13 in 2019.

Wireless Charging: While not a software feature, it’s worth noting that Android devices offered wireless charging well before Apple introduced it with the iPhone 8 and iPhone X in 2017.

Turn-by-Turn Navigation: Google Maps on Android offered free turn-by-turn navigation before Apple Maps introduced the feature on iOS.

Live Wallpapers: Android introduced live wallpapers that could interact with touch and display dynamic content in the background. Apple later introduced a similar concept with Live Photos as wallpapers.

App Drawer: The concept of an app drawer, where all apps are housed, has been a staple of Android since its inception. While not directly mirrored, Apple introduced the App Library in iOS 14 as a way to organize apps more efficiently, moving closer to Android’s app drawer concept.

Voice Assistants: While Siri was the first mainstream voice assistant on smartphones, Google’s integration of Google Now (and later, the Google Assistant) into Android provided more in-depth control and functionality. Apple has continuously updated Siri since then to match the capabilities of Google Assistant.


I’m not saying Apple steals ideas from others as any kind of slam. I have used iPhones for a long, long time, as does everyone in my family. I’ve got an Apple TV and MacBook Pro (put me back $4k because I upgraded a lot of things), and every member of my family has some kind of MacBook. I’m not a hater. Just observant.


129 posted on 03/22/2024 2:16:25 PM PDT by Theo (FReeping since 1997 ... drain the swamp.)
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To: zeugma

The core of Roe was the Right to Privacy that literally had not existed before in the courts. If we TRULY have it, and can TRULY make the case that it exists, then the TLA’s are completely unconstitutional.


130 posted on 03/25/2024 12:22:46 PM PDT by spacewarp (Want freedom? Reject Dems.)
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To: Theo

The entire “smartphone” as we have it today began with Apple (one might argue with Blackberry and similar devices - but that is quite different - and Apple was one-up on that with the Newton a decade before).

The screen layout, and the icon concept as implemented - began with Apple. The technology was driven by - including the pro-level camera effort - all driven by Apple.

In any consumer industry, competitors adopt what the market wants. What was listed by that AI effort - all relatively superficial features - that rely on the underlying concept which again, isn’t an Android-original thought.


131 posted on 03/25/2024 12:32:35 PM PDT by TheBattman (Democrats-Progressives-Marxists-Socialists - redundant labels.)
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To: spacewarp
The core of Roe was the Right to Privacy that literally had not existed before in the courts. If we TRULY have it, and can TRULY make the case that it exists, then the TLA’s are completely unconstitutional.

Indeed. The problem, silly wabbit, is that you think the government has the slightest interest in applying the law evenly against themselves.

132 posted on 03/25/2024 2:18:09 PM PDT by zeugma (Stop deluding yourself that America is still a free country.)
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To: TheBattman

They: “Apple steals a lot of ideas from Android phones”?

You: Seriously? Are you new to the Smartphone world?


Top 10 features that Android did first before Apple

#1 Home Screen Widgets
#2 Support for third-party keyboards
#3 Google Lens (Live Text for Apple)
#4 Fingerprint sensor
#5 Facial Recognition
#6 4K Video recording
#7 Fast Charging
#8 Wireless charging
#9 Water and dust resistance
#10 Multi-rear camera setup

https://technave.com/gadget/Top-10-features-that-Android-did-first-before-Apple-25202.html


133 posted on 03/30/2024 6:42:14 PM PDT by TexasGator
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