Investing.com — Senator Elizabeth Warren on Thursday called for breaking Apple’s “monopoly” in the smartphone market, saying the green bubbles appearing in conversations between iPhone and non-iPhone users are ruining relationships.
“It’s time to break up the Apple (NASDAQ:) monopoly now,” Warren said in a post on X, accusing Apple of using “dirty tactics” to maintain “its stranglehold on its smartphone market.”
Warren described numerous ways — including the exclusion of non-iPhone users from group chats and sports team text messages — in which Apple uses its perceived monopoly power. “Green text on iPhones is ruining relationships,” Warren added.
“Non-iPhone users around the world are being locked out of group text messages, from chats with sports teams, to chats about birthdays and vacation plans, they are being left out,” Warren said. “Apple has used its smartphone monopoly to lock Americans into services and rake in billions of dollars in profits.”
Warren welcomed the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Apple filed last month, in which the DoJ accused Apple of violating antitrust laws by maintaining monopoly power in the smartphone market. “It’s the right thing to do,” Warren said.
A company operating as a monopoly often faces a lack of competition in markets where there are no alternatives, but industry data shows there are alternatives to the iPhone, amid stiff competition from rivals including Android smartphones .
As of March 2024, iPhone has a market share of 57%, compared to Android’s 43% in North America, according to recent data from web analytics service StatCounter.
However, the DoJ alleges that Apple uses its App Store to attract customers and developers, using terms and rules it imposes on the App Store to stop apps seen as a threat. If the lawsuit were successful, Appel could be forced to open its App Store, which is a key growth driver for the company.
