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I don't know what is more ridiculous. Beeper Mini trying to survive or Apple trying to gatekeep their service.

Lucky for Apple, the EU decided iMessage isn't popular enough here in Europe. Otherwise Apple's current push against Beeper Mini would not be in their favour
I'm surprised that the EU hasn't demanded that Facebook release WhatsApp, given their political dealings.
 
Let’s be clear here: The only reason the DOJ is getting involved is because they would love to open up the security of iMessages. They give zero crap about consumers.

I fail to see how this is any different than requiring Twitter to work with FaceBook.

Even if they do somehow force interoperability, they cannot keep Apple from charging for their service on their servers which they are required to maintain for zero profit from these users who did not purchase their hardware.
 
I simply do not understand this whole issue. I understand Apple not wanting outside parties with unknown security issues access to their servers. Look it is not like there are other universal texting formats. I mostly use Telegram it works across all platforms. So if you are an "A"ndroid hole go get a life on Telegram, that's where my friends are. ;)
 
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I feel like that’s the outcome they wanted out of this.

Now where’s the anticompetitive argument at with Warner bros?
 

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Democraps are upset at the 100's of Billions of dollars Apple has stashed overseas and they can't tax it. So they have their horse flies going after them. Apple than swats them with a 200 pound sledge hammer.
 
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When you don't innovate or create anything new in over 10 years, you get protective of what you have and swat away anything that could disrupt the lock in.
 
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I highly doubt anything will come out of the investigation.
Gov can break them up into hardware and software companies. Haha that would destroy their ecosystem/synergy. Reason to breAk apple up: theyre using their monopoly on iPhones to get a monopoly in iOS software.
 
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So, Apple provide a messaging service that works securely across Apple devices only. Apple covers the server and traffic costs because it’s part of the service to customers who bought Apple products. A third party company finds a way to “hack” iMessage to register and use non Apple devices without payment to Apple. Opening up a way to spam etc from non Apple devices and then when Apple shuts them down the FTC get involved? WTF
 
I don't think you understand what "anti-competitive" means.

Email operates on an open standard. If Apple invented a closed email system that only worked with their products, that would be anti-competitive.

iMessage is not an open standard.

SMS is open, and supported by iPhones.

Apple is adding support for RCS so long as they can keep it from being 100% controlled by Google.

There's nothing wrong with how Apple has been controlling access to iMessage. It's an Apple network, paid for by Apple customers.

Why would they give it away for free to competing platforms?
When it comes to anticompetitive and monopolistic practices, this doesn't matter. The issue is apple is using it's dominance in the smartphone market to prop up imessage usage, while simultaneously using its dominance in imessage to prop up iphone sales.

You have to separate the two, or at least make it seem like there is parity of services. iMessage is anticompetitive (ahem), "convenient" because it turns on automatically for iphone users. They do not have to lift a finger and have iMessage work. That's great, but that also means apple is making the choice for those users already, that they are going to use iMessage. Now, since iMessage is a good product, people like to stay on it, cool, but Apple also simultaneously makes the next easiest alternative to imessage (SMS) terrible. If they want to use another service, like Whatsapp. They don't allow you to make Whatsapp the default messaging service, you can't send SMS through Whatsapp.

On the flip side, that same dominance it has on iMessage, which Apple deliberately does, props up their smartphone business.

There's A LOT of things that Apple could theoretically do to make their business less anticompetitive, and RCS is one of them (at least now the alternative to imessage isn't terrible), opening up iMessage to Android would be another (that way they aren't using their dominance of imessage to prop up iphone sales), or lastly, making imessage interoperable (same thing, it would no longer prop up iphone sales)

It's not just Apple. Google Chrome will eventually have to allow users to select a default search engine, so they can't use Chrome's dominance to prop up Google Search.

When you play with the big boys, you can't be anti competitive. It's harmful for consumers.
 
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If the government agencies find that commercial entities must have products open to competitors use, then THAT is stifling competition, and the entire landscape becomes same same. This would result in companies buying out other companies because it would be the only way to maintain or increase market share.

What happens in the commercial landscape could then reasonably be expected to apply to government; surely the law courts and government agencies should be open to 'competition' allowing multiple players in the same field.
 
Gov can break them up into hardware and software companies. Haha that would destroy their ecosystem/synergy. Reason to breAk apple up: theyre using their monopoly on iPhones to get a monopoly in iOS software.

Which is their right as a vertically integrated company. I am fairly confident that the only way this can happen is if congress can come together to enact new laws because under existing ones, it has been established in court that Apple has no duty to deal.

Hate on Apple all you want. At least hate right.
 
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When it comes to anticompetitive and monopolistic practices, this doesn't matter. The issue is apple is using it's dominance in the smartphone market to prop up imessage usage, while simultaneously using its dominance in imessage to prop up iphone sales.

You have to separate the two, or at least make it seem like there is parity of services. iMessage is anticompetitive (ahem), "convenient" because it turns on automatically for iphone users. They do not have to lift a finger and have iMessage work. That's great, but that also means apple is making the choice for those users already, that they are going to use iMessage. Now, since iMessage is a good product, people like to stay on it, cool, but Apple also simultaneously makes the next easiest alternative to imessage (SMS) terrible. If they want to use another service, like Whatsapp. They don't allow you to make Whatsapp the default messaging service, you can't send SMS through Whatsapp.

On the flip side, that same dominance it has on iMessage, which Apple deliberately does, props up their smartphone business.

There's A LOT of things that Apple could theoretically do to make their business less anticompetitive, and RCS is one of them (at least now the alternative to imessage isn't terrible), opening up iMessage to Android would be another (that way they aren't using their dominance of imessage to prop up iphone sales), or lastly, making imessage interoperable (same thing, it would no longer prop up iphone sales)

It's not just Apple. Google Chrome will eventually have to allow users to select a default search engine, so they can't use Chrome's dominance to prop up Google Search.

When you play with the big boys, you can't be anti competitive. It's harmful for consumers.
If imessage has to be open to competitors to use, then there's no reason why In N Out couldn't make Big Macs, or KFC could make whatever it is INO make.

iMessage is not anti-competitive, it is a secured intra-environment platform. SMS is not anti-competitive, and it is not secure.

As I've said before, if the US government finds that Apple is being anti-competitive and forces them to open their service to other players, then the same should apply to government. I'm sure there'd be welcome cheers all over the US if multiple private companies could emulate the DMV.
 
Gov can break them up into hardware and software companies. Haha that would destroy their ecosystem/synergy. Reason to breAk apple up: theyre using their monopoly on iPhones to get a monopoly in iOS software.
That sounds ridiculous very little of Apple software is sold separately from a device. What next Microsoft can’t make first party computers either?
 
Perhaps Apple needs to no longer be an American company and find greener shores. The fact that any business can cry foul to the US government and have forced access to competitors products is ludicrous, it defeats the purpose of any company bothering to research and develop anything proprietary.
 
For those who are on the side of Apple and wants to keep iMessage on their iPhones... need to understand that allowing iMessage on Android benefits you (shocker!).

You won't have to be concerned about "oh, they have an Android... I don't care to message them." Look at the data from teenagers and especially in the dating world. It removes that barrier. And I know you might be wondering... well, there's plenty of other messaging platforms to exchange messages with for Android users.

But the issue is that most iPhone users IN THE US... gravitate toward iMessage. If we (in the states) can agree to move to a cross-platform messaging app... this whole situation would be mute.
The point you are missing is that a large portion of iPhone users only use iMessage. I have no interest in any other messaging service. There is no benefit to being on a single messaging platform unless the goal is mediocrity.
 
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It's a blue bubble. Zero reason this should be a Government inquiry.

Apple should release iMessage as an app and require a paid iCloud subscription for those that want to use the service.
Apple “should release” macOS so that I can install it on a $500 pc.

But then again that would be a big hit to their profit margins.

Edit: @bsbeamer I guess I need to work on my sarcasm.
 
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I like that the EU is trying to make messaging more like email, where you have an identity (your email address) and you can use any app to message any other app. That seems like a really great user experience, however I think they are struggling with the E2EE aspect of the requirement as that is difficult to get working in a non-centralized way.

I don't know anything about it on a technical level, but Google appear to be supporting the recently published MLS protocol as a potential solution to this issue https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/20/23801536/google-messages-app-mls-support-announce
 
Ummm. Gimme a break already. I message a bunch of peeps in Android Mordor and the text gets through ok, albeit who actually gets the matter of the message may be greenish.
 
Sure, we can debate if Apple should release iMessage for Android. But there’s very little to debate about whether another company should be able to use Apple’s servers and technology without authorization.
Absolutely, and I think they should release it as a subscription service for Android and Windows, and I think they'd make a killing on it.

But trying to backdoor and piggyback on Apple's services free of charge or authorization, and they tried to charge a subscription themselves - is beyond stupid.
 
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lol. only the Dept of Legalism and the Federal Anti Trade Commission would cry foul concerning a competitive advantage and only on Macrumors would that finding be embraced.
 
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