Apple and Google are global tech giants that have both come under scrutiny by regulators and anti-trust watchdogs in different countries. Due to their expansive influence on the smartphone market, both companies have been accused in several quarters of monopolistic practices. There is yet another report that a United Kingdom regulator has released a report which accused Apple and Google of having a “vise-like grip” on the smartphone market.
Apple and Google are the leading providers of technology and software on which smartphones run via the iOS and Android operating systems, respectively. Although the UK regulator’s report is non-binding, it could add to the growing calls for some anti-trust regulation to safeguard the market in the UK and Europe. The report also does not have any proposed legislative changes needed to tackle the issue. The regulator however says it is assessing whether to try to loosen the control of the two companies within the smartphone market, and more importantly, smartphone ecosystems.
There had been a lot of non-binding research ongoing on competition within the tech firmament across the UK and Europe. The current report is in its preliminary stage and it is a part of a push by Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for regulatory action in the smartphone market. The CMA report is a 445-page document that says Apple and Google, via their respective app stores, exercise a very strong dominance on the market. The power these companies exercise on their app stores makes it difficult for users to find alternatives in several instances, thus limiting their choices. This control could be inimical to innovation, according to the report.
The CMA says that the implication of the dominance of the two tech powerhouses on the UK market is leading to the loss of potentially millions of persons across the UK. Both Apple and Google, in their separate responses to the report, affirmed their commitment to continue to work with regulators to sustain best and competitive practices in the market.
RELATED:
- Apple leads Middle East, Turkey, and Africa smartwatch market to impressive YoY growth of 46.7 percent
- TSMC top 10 customers revealed: Apple accounts for a quarter of total revenue
- iPhone SE 2022 could reel in over a billion Android users to the Apple ecosystem
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro variants to sport 48MP camera & 8GB RAM: Report
- Apple’s foldable iPhone isn’t coming until 2023, claims analyst Ross Young
(via)
