Friday Briefing: The U.S. sues Apple
Good morning. We’re covering the U.S.’s antitrust suit against Apple and the arrest of an opposition leader in India. Plus, tips to unplug from your phone.
The U.S. accused Apple of a monopolyThe Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against the technology giant Apple. The lawsuit — which includes 16 states and the District of Columbia — is the federal government’s most significant challenge to Apple’s reach and influence. The government argued that Apple violated antitrust laws with practices that were intended to keep customers reliant on their iPhones and less likely to switch to a competing device. By tightly controlling the user experience on iPhones and other devices, Apple has created what critics call an uneven playing field, where it grants its own products and services access to core features that it denies rivals. It argued that the tech giant prevented other companies from offering applications that compete with Apple products like its digital wallet — which could diminish the value of the iPhone. It also said that Apple’s policies hurt consumers and smaller companies that compete with its services, and said its practices resulted in “higher prices and less innovation.” Rebuttal: Apple has said its control over the technology makes iPhones more secure than other smartphones. What’s next: It’s unclear what implications the suit — which is likely to drag out for years — would have for consumers. Details: The lawsuit asks the court to stop Apple from engaging in practices like blocking cloud-streaming apps and undermining messaging across smartphone operating systems. Go deeper: Here is the lawsuit.
Indian opposition faces troublesJust weeks before a pivotal election, the head of one of India’s leading opposition parties, the Aam Aadmi Party, was arrested yesterday on what his supporters said were fraudulent charges. The same day, the Indian National Congress — the largest opposition party — said it was blocked from accessing most of its main bank accounts. Critics said the moves were meant to disadvantage Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rivals. As the vote nears, opposition figures say they are fighting a tide of troubles from the government, including Modi’s unleashing of major investigating agencies against them while shielding those who switch to his side. Voting: It lasts for six weeks and is set to begin on April 19.
The Dodgers fired Ohtani’s interpreterThe Los Angeles Dodgers fired Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter after the baseball star’s representatives accused the employee, Ippei Mizuhara, of using Ohtani’s money to place bets with a bookmaker who is under federal investigation. Details are murky. Ohtani’s representatives called him a “victim of a massive theft,” and a Major League Baseball official said that Ohtani, a Japanese slugger, was not currently facing discipline. Background: Ohtani and Mizuhara were closer than most players and their interpreters. For much of the last seven years, they were rarely seen apart. |
