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Because it is within the national interest to ensure a healthy marketplace, which means ensuring competition exists. This isn't a new concept. The government has been going after monopolies since the 1890s in case you weren't aware.
Because people who have nothing to do with Apple business decided they are entitled to get a piece of the pie
 
Particularly in the 1990s, it would have been very difficult to write a universal OS capable of running the same apps on both PPC and x86. Even Microsoft couldn’t do it (they had a version of Windows NT for PPC in development but it didn’t run x86 apps). The point is that opening up macOS to clone makers didn’t benefit Apple. It almost bankrupted them. One of the first things Steve Jobs did after he returned as CEO was to kill off the clones.
Sure, but the problem with the clones was simpler than that: on the volumes Apple was dealing with, there just wasn't enough potential revenue from selling OS licences (and some support chips, etc) for Apple to survive. Microsoft has thrived on a software licensing business model, but by 1996, they were selling something like 20X more copies of Windows each year than Apple was selling Macs. And they had the advantage that Intel and some others were doing most of the hardware engineering.

If you had a Mac clone market of 50-100 million units/year, I suspect OS licensing would have been a perfectly passable business model. But if you have a total Mac market of 3-4 million units/year and you replace the margins on a PM 8xxx/9xxx with the licensing fee from a Power Computing box, you're in deep, deep, deep trouble.

I suspect whoever cooked up the clone program assumed that the clones would cannibalize the Performa 6200s in the lineup, while in reality the clone makers went directly after the highest-end and most profitable part of the Mac market.
 
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The DOJ liked to point out that Apple may be blocking “innovative” solutions from competitors. I’ve already pointed out that Apple did the world a favor by essentially killing off Flash by refusing to support it on iOS. That forced developers to write native apps, not just for Apple, but ultimately Android, which benefitted all consumers.
Apple may have done consumers (and competitors - see what Steven Sinofsky wrote about that, they were very happy in Redmond to see Flash get murdered) a favour, but I'm sure there are plenty of developers who are annoyed at having to write a somewhat native iOS app, a somewhat native Android app, and some web piece of trash for desktop. And annoyed developers, more than happy consumers, are going to call up regulators and complain.

And actually, I think there are a lot of 'native' apps on my iPhone, especially banking ones, that seem to really just be some kind of a wrapper around some kind of web thing.

Even Microsoft doesn't want to write multiple native apps anymore. Look at Teams. How is it that a company with a top-notch Windows development team, a top-notch Mac/Apple development team, etc somehow ended up coding the desktop client for their flagship conferencing/communications platform in Electron (and now EdgeWebView2) and creating a complete piece of trash in the process? The old Microsoft would have used super-duper undocumented APIs to tie it deep into Windows and outperform everybody else; the new Microsoft uses Electron.
 
It reminds me of trying to extort a per install "Core Technology Fee" out of devs who distribute software directly to consumers
It may remind you of that, but it is not the same. Extorting money out of people who don’t use your product as different from charging a fee to people who do use your product.
 
Except when the government commands Apple to load malware from other companies onto the phone to “create competition”. Problem created!
You are making stuff up. Government just forces Apple to make those apps available. It does not force you to use them.
 
And yet no court or legislative body has tried to set commission levels. The EU certainly didn't do it.
Because EU don’t need to. The question to be answered is: are Apple actually Appointed the Agent and Commissionaire for developers?

If the answer is no, then Apple can’t take a commission
 
While AI is going to be big it doesn't have as large an impact on people's lives the way mobile phones do. AI is likely to supplement and enhance rathe than replace the importance of mobile phones over the next few years (though in the long term some AI powered thing might fully replace phones I wouldn't bet on it being soon)

Star Trek like voice device, but without a screen, how are we supposed to click ads to support Google and Facebook? If Tim Cook really had vision, he would have a Skunkworks team and a mission statement, create a product that replaces the Iphone/smartphone, maybe he does have such a team.
 
So, from a layman's perspective, aside from the green bubble, making text message interoperability easier for all users of text message's ( which i agree with ), how does any of this greatly affect the general public in a negative way, so much so, that the united states government feels that it needs to bring a suit against apple?

Aside from the typical tech crowd, who bitches and complains about a lack of a specific feature or spec, the apple brand and its products are created for the average, everyday consumer. Ease of use, security, relatively seamless interconnectivity and so on are clearly what makes them stand out and become the choice of so many.

The consumer has clearly voted, with their wallets and their continued loyalty, that they prefer apple, the iphone and so many other offerings by apple. Its evident, again from the general masses, that apple has an incredible retention rate and very little churn once the average consumer finally becomes part of apples eco-system. If it was so bad, or so outrageously expensive to be in an apple consumer, one can easily leave for any other non apple product......but the majority do not. For years now, I have seen reports about apple and its products having off the charts, consumer satisfaction ratings. So again, what can this suit bring, to people ( again, the general masses ) who are already very happy with apple, its products and what its eco-system offers them.

I mean even from a personal perspective, the number of techies i know or work with over the years have slowly left android and become apple users. Some are "meh" on it and some say they'll never go back....
A billion dollar marketing machine can influence where those wallets go but I don't think anybody is arguing that Apple does not make great products, but come on, once you start using their ecosystem, it becomes really difficult to leave, Tim Cook is a killer, you don't think he has designed the system specifically to make it difficult to leave, of course some of that is making everything work well together and delivering high quality services, but some of it is making the cost of leaving so annoying, you are like, nah, I can't be bothered.
 
I doubt it. Micromanagement by government bureaucracies rarely benefits anyone. It’s a distraction. There could be a monetary penalty. More importantly, I don’t think a more “open” iOS benefits Apple. If it did, Apple would have done it. Obviously Apple decided it was in its interest to make iPod, and later iPhone and iPad work with Windows (back when a computer was required as a “digital hub”). If it were in Apple’s interest to make the Apple Watch work with Android, they would do it.

As John Gruber points out, Apple Pay obscures the credit number from the merchant, thus making it more difficult for them to track a customer’s buying habits. A big card-issuing bank bypassing Apple Pay probably would not.

The DOJ liked to point out that Apple may be blocking “innovative” solutions from competitors. I’ve already pointed out that Apple did the world a favor by essentially killing off Flash by refusing to support it on iOS. That forced developers to write native apps, not just for Apple, but ultimately Android, which benefitted all consumers.

"Apple would have done it", yeah maybe, but they have made mistakes in the past, on the Apple Watch, of course they need the tie in with the Iphone to drive Apple Watch sales, for now, that makes sense, and when John Gruber cheerleads the number of Apple Watch sales vs. the old Ipod numbers, he usually forgets to add that the Ipod had to sell itself all on its own, there will come a time though when Apple will completely free the watch from the Iphone, wait and see.

Yes but now Apple has your credit card information, and they have many other things, your movements if you use Apple Maps, on and on and on, one could argue that if you use PayPal, OK, they are hiding your payment information too, at least I believe they are doing the same thing that Apple Wallet does, and Paypal has your original information, but Paypal does not have everything else that Apple potentially has.

On Flash, so what, Apple has done the world many favors, that does not in itself act as a defense to what the US government is alleging.
 
Apple may have done consumers (and competitors - see what Steven Sinofsky wrote about that, they were very happy in Redmond to see Flash get murdered) a favour, but I'm sure there are plenty of developers who are annoyed at having to write a somewhat native iOS app, a somewhat native Android app, and some web piece of trash for desktop. And annoyed developers, more than happy consumers, are going to call up regulators and complain.

And actually, I think there are a lot of 'native' apps on my iPhone, especially banking ones, that seem to really just be some kind of a wrapper around some kind of web thing.

Even Microsoft doesn't want to write multiple native apps anymore. Look at Teams. How is it that a company with a top-notch Windows development team, a top-notch Mac/Apple development team, etc somehow ended up coding the desktop client for their flagship conferencing/communications platform in Electron (and now EdgeWebView2) and creating a complete piece of trash in the process? The old Microsoft would have used super-duper undocumented APIs to tie it deep into Windows and outperform everybody else; the new Microsoft uses Electron.
Teams is such a piece of garbage on every platform. From my work Windows PC to my iPad and iPhone, I have to admire Microsoft’s ability to write the worst application we all rely on every day.
 
If I wanted Android I would buy an Android phone. People select Apple because it is an integrated environment.
No, maybe Apple fans do so. Most ‚normal‘ people just don‘t know and get an iPhone because of its simplicity (which it looses every time Timmy adds more and more features) or as a status symbol
 
Apple can provide API that would allow the Galaxy watch to tie into imessage and read iMessages. If say Galaxy watch wants to read iMessage the watch can get access to it on the phone.
Expand it farther Also grant access to send SMS threw something other than iMessage.
No, they can’t. iMessage works on the Apple Watch even without the iPhone. How is security going to work?!
 
If the Apple watch works better with iPhone because it is a better product, then it is fine. However, if the AW works better with iPhone because Apple allows AW access to some APIs that it denies Pebble watch access to, then it is a problem. They will have to provide the same access to Pebble as they are providing to AW. Otherwise, they are being anti-competitive.
Why doesn’t my BetaMax cassette work with my VHS player?!?!
 
They are not asking Apple to give iMessage to Samsung. If WhatsApp wants to have interoperability with iMessage, then Apple should enable the interoperability without compromising their security. This is done by exposing some suitable APIs. The result of this interoperability is that, if an iPhone user wants to shift to Android, the user should not be held hostage because all his messages are in iMessages. The user, through the APIs, will be able to move them to the messaging client of his choice. Then, the only reason a user will stay with an iPhone is because it is good, not because Apple held the user hostage.
Why does WhatsApp need to work with iMessage?!
 
Why does WhatsApp need to work with iMessage?!
DOJ: Apple designates the APIs needed to implement SMS as “private,” meaning third-party developers have no technical means of accessing them and are prohibited from doing so under Apple’s contractual agreements with developers. As a result, third-party messaging apps cannot combine the “text to anyone” functionality of SMS with the advanced features of OTT messaging. Instead, if a user wants to send somebody a message in a third-party messaging app, they must first confirm whether the person they want to talk to has the same messaging app and, if not, convince that person to download and use a new messaging app. By contrast, if an Apple Messages user wants to send somebody a message, they just type their phone number into the “To:” field and send the message because Apple Messages incorporates SMS and OTT messaging.

Apple prohibits third-party developers from incorporating other important features into their messaging apps as well. For example, third-party messaging apps cannot continue operating in the background when the app is closed, which impairs functionality like message delivery confirmation. And when users receive video calls, third-party messaging apps cannot access the iPhone camera to allow users to preview their appearance on video before answering a call. Apple Messages incorporates these features.

If third-party messaging apps could incorporate these features, they would be more valuable and attractive to users, and the iPhone would be more valuable to Apple in the short term. For example, by incorporating SMS, users would avoid the hassle of convincing someone to download a separate app before sending them a message. Third-party messaging apps could also offer the ability to schedule SMS messages to be sent in the future, suggest replies, and support robust multi-device use on smartphones, tablets, and computers—as they have already done on Android.
 
DOJ: Apple designates the APIs needed to implement SMS as “private,” meaning third-party developers have no technical means of accessing them and are prohibited from doing so under Apple’s contractual agreements with developers. As a result, third-party messaging apps cannot combine the “text to anyone” functionality of SMS with the advanced features of OTT messaging. Instead, if a user wants to send somebody a message in a third-party messaging app, they must first confirm whether the person they want to talk to has the same messaging app and, if not, convince that person to download and use a new messaging app. By contrast, if an Apple Messages user wants to send somebody a message, they just type their phone number into the “To:” field and send the message because Apple Messages incorporates SMS and OTT messaging.

Apple prohibits third-party developers from incorporating other important features into their messaging apps as well. For example, third-party messaging apps cannot continue operating in the background when the app is closed, which impairs functionality like message delivery confirmation. And when users receive video calls, third-party messaging apps cannot access the iPhone camera to allow users to preview their appearance on video before answering a call. Apple Messages incorporates these features.

If third-party messaging apps could incorporate these features, they would be more valuable and attractive to users, and the iPhone would be more valuable to Apple in the short term. For example, by incorporating SMS, users would avoid the hassle of convincing someone to download a separate app before sending them a message. Third-party messaging apps could also offer the ability to schedule SMS messages to be sent in the future, suggest replies, and support robust multi-device use on smartphones, tablets, and computers—as they have already done on Android.
Of course that’s how iMessage works! And you’re wrong about other apps. In Japan, nearly everyone uses Line. It’s based on your phone number. Yeah, you have to download the app, but everyone does.

BTW, iMessage works without a phone number. You can get an account with an e-mail address.

How in the world can WhatsApp or Line have full interoperability with text and RCS and iMessage?! They all have different features. If they have to worry about perfect interoperability, they can’t innovate. If they don’t have to worry about perfect interoperability, then what’s the point?

Messaging is way more than text.
 
Of course that’s how iMessage works! And you’re wrong about other apps. In Japan, nearly everyone uses Line. It’s based on your phone number. Yeah, you have to download the app, but everyone does.

BTW, iMessage works without a phone number. You can get an account with an e-mail address.

How in the world can WhatsApp or Line have full interoperability with text and RCS and iMessage?! They all have different features. If they have to worry about perfect interoperability, they can’t innovate. If they don’t have to worry about perfect interoperability, then what’s the point?

Messaging is way more than text.
You have to read it again. Apple is stopping 3rd party messaging client's access to private APIs which is degrading the messaging clients. However, they are open for Messages. It is not about Line and others as they do not have any means to stop access to Private APIs.
 
Interestingly enough, Apple tried just that in the 1990s.
There has been Hackintosh pretty much forever but in my experience, they are way buggy and/or run slower than an entry level Mac even on high-end hardware.
 
The government takes 30% of your salary and nobody bats an eye.

Apple takes 30%, provides you with an actual service and platform to make money on and everyone loses their stuff.

I feel the anger is misdirected.
 
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I am doubtful the lawsuit will actually go anywhere.

That the EU had to come up with a custom new law specifically targeting Apple shows that they knew their existing laws were toothless against Apple, for the simple reason that Apple was never doing anything wrong.

In contrast, the US is trying to go after Apple using existing laws. It’s not illegal to be a monopoly in the US, so the DOJ has their work cut out for them.

Meanwhile, I will just have to wait for Macstories’ analysis, because I have absolutely no idea just what exactly Apple is being accused of here.

What is the specific remedy, and for whom exactly?
 
You are using it wrong.
If what you are saying is true, why are you using an iPhone?
I'm using what wrong? I got an iPhone 13 for free from a family member and thought I'd try it out, I would have bought the latest Samsung Galaxy or Pixel otherwise to replace my Galaxy s9+.

I've watched countless videos reviewing all the flagship phones, comparisons between them and as well as tips on less apparent features - the funny thing is it's all made me appreciate android more.

There's some things i like about iPhone but overall I'd say it's been a downgrade in everyday practicality with iPhone missing basic features that have been staples in android for over a decade. I plan on giving this iPhone a good 3 year run but I suspect I'll switch back to android.
 
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