At the WWDC 2019 keynote, Apple brought tons of new software goodies for its loyal fans. The company also refreshed its “trash can” Mac Pro with a new processing beast, its top spec’d model costing as much as a Tesla Model 3. But there is other news that might not sound good to the ears of the iPhone maker company.
The US Department of Justice is about to add another name to the list for its antitrust investigation spree. This time, it’s Apple. So far, the company has managed to stay out of sight when authorities try to scrutinize tech companies on various grounds like privacy, security, and anti-competitive business practices.
According to a Reuters report, the DOJ has been authorized to investigate the Cupertino-based company for any potential antitrust violations. It’s, however, unclear right now what would be the focus of the investigation and what actions will be taken. After the report came out, Apple’s stocks fell by around 2%.
This is not the first time the company is not being trusted. Right now, Apple is also standing against an antitrust investigation in Europe. Spotify, the music streaming service has blamed Apple for using its App Store monopoly to charge a higher fee which indirectly increased the cost of Spotify’s subscription service. In the past, the company has faced a couple of antitrust cases as well.
Why?
This comes after reports that the DOJ and FTC are looking into antitrust probes against various tech companies, including Google, Amazon, and Facebook.
It’s part of the bigger picture where lawmakers are seeing these big tech companies as powerful entities using their gigantic size to harness more power, control and create a monopoly.
The most prominent of the lawmakers who have spoken on this matter is US Senator Elizabeth Warren. She even made a list of big companies, including Google and Facebook, which she would consider for a breakup. These companies crunch more than $25 billion a year in worldwide revenues.
Apple is on that list. She insists on the idea of splitting off the company’s App Store into a separate entity. “Either they run the platform or they play in the store. They don’t get to do both at the same time,” Warren told The Verge during an interview.
