Apple Dismisses Comparison to Microsoft Antitrust Case Amid DOJ Suit

Quincy Jon, Tech Times 29 March 2024, 01:03 pm

Apple strongly denies any resemblance to Microsoft's 1990s antitrust case after a major US Department of Justice lawsuit. Drawing comparisons between the two cases, US Attorney General Merrick Garland sought to restrict business actions the US government considers as monopolistic.

A partial overturn of United States v. Microsoft Corp. forced Microsoft to alter its business practices. Garland and 16 other attorneys general in the Apple complaint want a similar resolution to address unfair tactics. The suit cites Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' criticism of Microsoft's monopoly and "dirty tactics," alleging dishonesty. Apple responds by highlighting its lower worldwide iPhone market share than Microsoft's.

Apple rejects the Department of Justice's assertion of over 65% dominance in the US smartphone market, citing revenue versus units sold, despite strong domestic performance. Apple App Store control, Apple Watch's Android compatibility, and "green bubbles" are the lawsuit's main issues, according to TechCrunch.

The complaint claims Apple's activities hurt Amazon, HTC, LG, and Microsoft's mobile businesses. Apple denies this, blaming businesses for market failures.

Regarding smartwatch compatibility and "green bubbles," Apple cites technological restrictions and privacy concerns for iOS exclusivity. The business claims that requiring modifications will destabilize iOS.

Apple sees the case as an attempt to turn iOS into Android, underscoring its freedom to choose its partners. Apple will strongly fight the complaint, claiming it is factually and legally erroneous.

Apple Sues Former iOS Engineer

Apple's comments on DOJ's lawsuit come after another recent legal issue wherein the tech giant has sued former iOS engineer Andrew Aude for disclosing secret information about planned corporate releases to press outlets. Apple accuses Aude of divulging confidential Apple policies and products, such as the Journal app for iPhones, spatial computing, and the Vision Pro.

Aude used his work-issued iPhone to leak Apple's innovations to The Information and the Wall Street Journal for years, as reported by TechTimes.

Apple Sued By Justice Department Over Antitrust Violations

(Photo : Scott Olson/Getty Images)

iPhones are displayed at an Apple store on March 21, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The Justice Department sued Apple claiming the iPhone maker has a monopoly over the phone market.

The complaint alleges that Aude retained over 1,400 encrypted contacts with a Wall Street Journal writer over four months. He reportedly exchanged several text conversations with a writer from The Information and went across the continent to meet with her.

Intel and Microsoft Team Up v. Apple

In a related update, Intel and Microsoft are reportedly collaborating to produce Intel Lunar Lake processors aimed at the thin and light laptop market, which could pose a threat to Apple. According to digitaltrends, Intel has designed Lunar Lake, its next-generation mobile processor, to compete with the best.

Igor's lab leaked Intel Lunar Lake's tiny laptop SoC. TSMC's N3B node manufactured the chips, in contrast to Intel's usual process. Featuring Intel's next-gen Arc Battlemage integrated graphics, the SoC may have 64 Xe2 execution units (EUs) and eight cores. Lunar Lake may also include a six-tile neural processing unit and 32GB of LPDDR5X-8533 memory in the SoC.

Lunar Lake's CPU has eight cores-four performance and four efficiency-compared to high-end CPUs like the Core i9-13900K, yet it can compete with Apple's M3. Intel's Lunar Lake alignment with Microsoft's Windows 11 ecosystem suggests a shared goal of optimizing Windows laptop performance.

Intel and Microsoft's alliance is a deliberate move to improve Lunar Lake's Windows compatibility and performance. This advancement may challenge Apple's dominance in the slim and light laptop industry, offering customers a compelling alternative. The IT sector awaits Lunar Lake's debut later this year to determine if this alliance will change the competitive environment.