Apple could also be dealing with a possible US Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit — however this time centered on AirTags and its different {hardware}. Sources told Politico that DOJ attorneys are within the nascent phases of drafting an antitrust criticism in opposition to the tech large. While these sources indicated the DOJ has taken an curiosity in Apple’s {hardware}, there is not any assure the company will observe via with a lawsuit right now.
The DOJ started investigating the iPhone maker in 2019, as half of a bigger authorities antitrust probe into Big Tech. So far, the company has primarily centered on Apple’s tight hold of its App Store and fee system for builders. The new potential go well with reportedly could go additional and hone in on years of public complaints by monitoring system maker Tile over Apple’s AirTags.
AirTags use ultra-wideband expertise and Apple’s Find My community to find gadgets, typically rather more exactly than Tile’s early-model Bluetooth-enabled trackers. In testimony earlier than Congress, Tile has alleged that Apple purposely deprived Tile on iOS gadgets by walling off its Find My community. The tech large ultimately opened its Find My community to third-party gadgets final yr for location monitoring, albeit with extreme terms and restrictions which might seemingly end in corporations like Tile having to surrender their software program ecosystems in favor of Apple’s. Incidentally, this was a discount Tile opted to not take. Engadget has reached out to Apple and the DOJ for remark and can replace if we hear again.
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