Apple will not take the antitrust case sitting down. Picture supply: Apple
As Apple’s antitrust case goes ahead, the corporate has responded to every of the 236 paragraphs from the unique grievance to defend itself, stating plainly that the “DOJ is incorrect.”
The Division of Justice, together with a number of states accused Apple, of monopolistic practices over the App Retailer, iPhone, and different elements of its enterprise. One yr later, after failed try to have the case dismissed, Apple has filed its direct response to the antitrust lawsuit.
The submitting from Apple opens with the assertion that the lawsuit “threatens the very rules that set iPhone aside in a fiercely aggressive market.” Apple asserts that the complaints that led to the lawsuit come from a small variety of wealthy and highly effective third-party builders free-riding on the improvements offered by iPhone.
It’s a heated rebuttal that hits on the core of the lawsuit, which AppleInsider has identified repeatedly is moot. A lot of the DOJ’s accusations both have been by no means true or have been remedied in current updates.
Apple shared, as soon as once more, the 5 details made by the DOJ lawsuit.
- DOJ says Apple stifles the success of “tremendous apps,” even supposing Apple’s guidelines permit and help such apps, and certainly a mess of “tremendous apps” exist on the App Retailer as we speak
- DOJ says Apple blocks cloud streaming video games, though Apple permits streaming-games each over the net and within the App Retailer the place they will stream video games on to customers
- DOJ says Apple degrades third-party messaging apps, though they’re extensively obtainable and enormously standard on iPhone already
- DOJ says Apple limits the performance of third-party smartwatches, though they will successfully pair with iPhone, share knowledge to and from the iPhone by way of a companion app, and reap the benefits of sure functionalities Apple has developed that are increasing over time
- DOJ says Apple withholds entry to iPhone {hardware} needed for third-party digital wallets to make use of tap-to-pay know-how, nevertheless, Apple developed and offers a mechanism that protects person
236 the explanation why the DOJ is incorrect
Apple’s response goes paragraph by paragraph to take aside the DOJ arguments. There are 236 paragraphs complete, together with the desk of contents, preamble, headings, subheadings, and footnotes.
DOJ needs Apple to open up iPhone and its software program
Clearly, there is not any strategy to deal with each single level Apple has made. Go learn the complete response embedded beneath.
In the event you’re following alongside, the unique DOJ submitting is on the market by way of Scribd. Apple kicks issues off by stating that it admits Apple was based in 1976, however denies that it struggled to compete with lower-priced rivals.
Numerous the DOJ submitting facilities round constructing a story that Apple would not need competitors and has designed an ecosystem round stopping simply that. Apple takes the time to refute every element, solely confirming what’s in documentation or historical past as correct, like releasing an iPhone in 2007.
Lots of the paragraphs are what Apple calls authorized conclusions that do not want a response. Any allegations made towards Apple are denied.
The purpose Apple repeatedly tries to make is that its platform and ecosystem of apps and {hardware} are designed to make sure the proper steadiness between shopper wants, privateness, and safety. Apple says the lawsuit “seeks to assault a random assortment of Apple’s design decisions, degrade the privateness and safety advantages of iPhone that clients worth, and get rid of the aggressive differentiation and shopper selection that at present exist within the market.”
Apple’s 9 important defenses additionally take a powerful stance. It argues that Apple has respectable enterprise justifications, protected mental property rights, the courts have an absence of standing, no proof of harm, discover the arguments moot, that the plaintiffs don’t have any entitlement to aid, that there is not any hurt to competitors or shoppers, and cites the doctrine of laches (the declare was made with unreasonable delay).
Revisiting the DOJ’s antitrust complaints
Regardless of what the lawsuit implies, Apple is actively competing with a number of manufacturers throughout a number of fronts. The concept it has a best-selling smartwatch or a well-liked messaging service due to lock-in has been challenged a number of occasions earlier than.
Even Apple’s fee has repeatedly been dominated as truthful and authorized by courts, although its anti-steering practices haven’t. As soon as the DOJ is ready to submit a extra detailed set of arguments with examples, it will be simpler to grasp the objectives of the lawsuit.
The unique submitting prompt Apple prevented “tremendous apps” from forming, did not permit sport streaming providers, did not permit cross-platform messaging apps, purposefully decreased competing smartwatch performance, and restricted digital wallets.
Sport streaming is already attainable on iPhone and iPad
Tremendous apps
The “tremendous app” argument has been heard just a few occasions earlier than. It basically boils right down to Apple not permitting apps to develop into their very own sort of working system with inner app shops, banking, chat options, and extra baked into one app.
A separate antitrust lawsuit was filed by an organization named Proton over tremendous apps. It means that Apple permitting WeChat to exist in China ought to imply they will exist elsewhere too.
Sport streaming
The sport streaming providers grievance has already been addressed, although nobody has bitten to date. If Microsoft needed to, it may submit an Xbox streaming service to iOS as an app, but it surely hasn’t.
Cross-platform messaging choices
Apple’s Messages app now helps RCS, the cross-platform messaging protocol that is higher than SMS. Customers even have the power to pick out totally different default messaging apps like Messenger as of iOS 18.2.
Smartwatch compatibility
There have been complaints from third-party smartwatch makers about integrations. Pebble returned and is appropriate with iPhone, however the maker has complained about the way it cannot compete with the choices supplied by Apple Watch.
The DOJ may search to pressure Apple to supply extra choices and APIs. There is not any clear manner to do that with out Apple having to invent new programs from scratch because it will not offer its apps on third-party shops.
Apple Pockets and NFC
Apple’s NFC reader has new performance that lets third-party apps take benefit. For instance, Sq. can now settle for tap-to-pay from playing cards and telephones when interfacing straight with the iPhone.
Nonetheless, this doubtless will not be sufficient for the DOJ antitrust lawsuit. It would doubtless search to have Apple permit customers to pick out default fee apps as a substitute of locking it to Apple Pay, like within the EU.
It is going to be a protracted and brutal case which will take years to shake out. Apple goes to push again exhausting towards opening up its platforms to third-parties and potential privateness and safety violations, so anticipate issues to go as roughly as they’ve with the EU Digital Markets Act.
Apple DOJ antitrust response July 29, 2025 by Wesley Hilliard
