The UK antitrust group is currently investigating the position of the two tech giants in the mobile browsing industry: Google and Apple.
According to the country's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the probe is potentially searching for reasons for how these companies gain massive control of the mobile gaming market.
The announcement came after the organization said in a press release on Tuesday, Nov. 22, that these firms had taken control of 97% of web browsing across the UK last year.
Google and Apple's Stranglehold' Over Mobile Browsing
(Photo : JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
In June, the UK's CMA first noticed that the duopoly of Google and Apple in the mobile industry was considered anti-competitive.
At that time, the regulator described that these companies could hold the existing marketplaces to subdue the other competitors in the market.
This time, CMA said that the problem was alarming to many developers and businesses all over the world.
"Many UK businesses and web developers tell us they feel that they are being held back by restrictions set by Apple and Google. When the new Digital Markets regime is in place, it's likely to address these sorts of issues," interim CMA chief Sarah Cardell said in a release.
For now, Cardell said that CMA is tackling the issue of the two companies. Moreover, she added that they need to "identify steps to improve competition and innovation" in the mobile sector.
To intensify their campaign against these two tech titans, the browser vendors, cloud gaming service providers, and developers expressed their "substantial support" for the probe, per CNBC.
According to the affected organizations and individuals, the duopoly has been costing them a lot of money and resources for their businesses.
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How Apple and Google Affect the Developers
Some developers who complained about Apple's practices said that the company has been unfair to them by forcing them to face glitches during web page building.
When asked about the issue, a Google spokesperson said that the search engine giant is "committed" to constructing a healthy community for consumers and developers.
The following vendors declared their support for the UK probe, per Apple Insider.
- Vodaphone
- Microsoft
- Meta
- Mozilla
- DuckDuckGo
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation
According to the UK's CMA, the investigation should be finished within "18 months of a reference." If the involved companies are becoming non-compliant with the case, it's about time to punish them.
If the investigation goes smoothly, it can possibly affect the behavior and the restrictions of the companies. In doing so, the level of competition is heightened. Thus, consumers could obtain a better set of products and services from the companies.
There could be an "underinvestment in the browser technology," given how the criticisms go as far. Despite their power and budget to produce top-quality outcomes, there's still a need to consider the sentiments of developers and consumers.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Joseph Henry
