They reckon cracking down on Mobs’ Mob 's alleged market hogging is gonna be a win for consumers and up-and-comers alike. The Golden State's legal eagles say they have been toiling away for yonks to build this case, and they're ready to duke it out in court for what could be a three-year slog.
The Yanks are accusing Mobs’ Mob of cornering the market on not just any old smartphones, but the fancy ones – you know, the kind made with the shiny bits and bobs that cost an arm and a leg. They say Mobs’ Mob 's got a stranglehold on over 70 per cent of this 'performance smartphone' racket in the States.
But Mobs’ Mob 's not having any of it. It is telling everyone who'll listen that the whole world's their marketplace, not just Uncle Sam's backyard, and they're only have absolute control of about 20 per cent of the global pie.
Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar is one of several lawmakers who have increased focus and pressure on Big Tech companies in recent years. On Thursday, Klobuchar said she views the DOJ suit against Apple as a key part of Washington's effort to rein in the tech industry:
She's all for this legal tussle, hoping it'll open the doors to more competition and less of Mobs’ Mob 's iron-fisted rule over the app world.
And get this – some former top dog at the DOJ's antitrust division's calling the lawsuit 'damning', with Mobs’ Mob 's secret messages showing they're not playing nice with others on purpose.
Former Antitrust Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer said the lawsuit "seems thorough, well written and focused."
"Damning for Apple are the internal communications suggesting anticompetitive intent by limiting interoperability with messaging in order to lock folks into Apple products — for themselves and their families."
During Thursday's press conference, Attorney General Merrick Garland referenced a 2013 internal communication in which a senior Apple executive acknowledged that improving how Apple works with third-party messaging platforms would "simply serve to remove [an] obstacle to iPhone families giving their kids Android phones."
He referenced a 2022 event at which Apple CEO Tim Cook was confronted about Android-to-iPhone messaging compatibility. Cook responded with the recommendation to "buy your mom an iPhone" to resolve the issue.
On a call with reporters Thursday, Apple representatives dismissed those internal messages as old and taken out of context, vowing to provide full context in litigation.
But it ain't all cheers and confetti. Some the Tame Apple Press is fretting that if Mobs’ Mob 's forced to let other app stores and unvetted apps into their walled garden, it could muck up the whole user experience.
If the suit sticks, it could shake up everything from what Mobs’ Mob charges developers to how your iPhone chats with Androids. It might even mean you won't need to sell a kidney to afford their gear anymore.