Investing.com — Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Thursday called for breaking Apple's “monopoly” in the smartphone market, saying the green bubbles that appear in conversations between iPhone and non-iPhone users are ruining relationships.
“It's time to end the Apple (NASDAQ:) monopoly,” Warren said in a post on X, adding that Apple is using “dirty tactics” to maintain its “dominance in the smartphone market.” denounced.
Warren described the myriad ways Apple allegedly uses its monopoly power, including excluding non-iPhone users from group chats and text messages from sports teams. “Green text on the iPhone is ruining relationships,” Warren added.
“Non-iPhone users are being excluded and cut off from group texts everywhere, from sports team chats to birthday chats to vacation planning chats,” Warren said. “Apple has amassed billions of dollars in profits by using its smartphone monopoly to lock Americans into its services.”
Warren welcomed the Justice Department's lawsuit against Apple last month, accusing the company of violating antitrust laws by maintaining monopoly power in the smartphone market. “It's the right thing to do,” Warren said.
Companies that operate as monopolies often face a lack of competition in markets with no alternatives, but in the face of intense competition from rivals such as Android smartphones, there are alternatives to the iPhone. Shown by industry data.
According to recent data from web analysis service StatCounter, as of March 2024, the iPhone will have a 57% market share in North America, while Android will have a 43% market share.
But the Justice Department alleges that Apple uses the App Store to attract locked-in customers and developers, using the conditions and rules it sets to shut down apps it deems a threat. ing. If the lawsuit is successful, Appel could be forced to open the App Store, a key growth engine for the company.
