Apple U.S. lawsuit: the saga continues

On Wednesday, 10 April, the case accusing Apple of monopolising the smartphone market was reassigned to District Judge Julien Neals in New Jersey after another judge said “he could not hear it due to a potential conflict of interest.”

That sounds interesting, indeed.

Reuters reports that in a brief order the U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz, who apparently had been assigned the case, said he was required to recuse from the case based on a judicial ethics rule which can restrict judges from hearing disputes if they or a family member have some close connection of financial ties.

What do we know about the exact reason for his disqualification? Nothing. Except that the order said his recusal was mandatory.

The Justice Department and no less than 15 U.S. states sued Apple in March. They accuse the California-based tech company of monopolising the smartphone market through restrictions on app developers that curb choice and innovation, and “forces” consumers to pay higher prices for products of exceptional quality that always work, unlike many others.

At some point and according to Reuters, the Justice Department has complained about how much Apple charges for an iPhone, adding that the tech company makes larger profit than any others in the industry.

Sure, it’s called paying for quality.

I certainly find this utterly ridiculous.

First, I would like to know how the price that we, Apple users, are willing to pay for devices that we love because they simply work affects them.

As for the competitors, I think that we all know that you always pay a premium price for better quality. This is true about any product or service and not just about smartphones.

I don’t see anyone complaining because Rolls Royce ($28M) or BMW ($850,000) price their automobiles in the United States higher than others such as Chevrolet ($14,000).

Why does the U.S. government have this obsessive fixation with tech companies?

Because, it’s not just Apple.

The administration of both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have sued Alphabet’s Google, Meta Platforms, and Amazon.

According to Reuters, Attorney General Merrill Garland said in a statement: “If left unchallenged, Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly.”

I would like to ask the Attorney General Merrill Garland to survey iPhone users on why we choose iPhone over other smartphones.

As far as I know, Apple is not forcing us to buy an iPhone. We have choices. We choose Apple over others because Apple products work different and they work. Always.

We choose to buy an iPhone for many reasons which are personal to each of us. If we, at some point, want to switch and buy a smartphone from a different manufacturer we are free to do it.

Meanwhile, Apple denies the allegations and this is what Apple has to say:

”This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets. If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple — where hardware, software, and services intersect.”

I certainly agree and support Apple, without a doubt.

I would like to know what you think. Leave me a comment to keep the conversation going.

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About the author:

Susan Fourtané is a Science and Technology Journalist with 18 years of experience covering technology, research on emerging technologies, vintage technology, future technologies, and science and tech innovation.

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