What you need to know
- A new antitrust could change the iPhone forever.
- The law could prohibit Apple from preinstalling its apps on iOS.
Since the dawn of the iPhone, Apple has shipped the device with some of its apps preinstalled on the device. Apps like Messages, FaceTime, Safari, and more are expected when you buy a new iPhone. That could all change if a new antirust law passes in the United States.
As reported by Bloomberg, the United States government is debating on whether to pass a new antitrust law that is aimed at stopping tech companies from giving themselves an unfair advantage on their platforms. If passed, it could prevent Apple from preinstalling its own apps on the iPhone.
Democratic Representative David Cicilline, who ran the antirtust hearings last year, told reporters this week that the law would not allow Apple to preinstall any of its own apps on iOS.
"It would be equally easy to download the other five apps as the Apple one so they're not using their market dominance to favor their own products and services," the Rhode Island Democrat said.Cicilline said the self-preferencing prohibition would also apply to Amazon.com Inc.'s Prime subscription service because it disadvantages some sellers who rely on the e-commerce platform.
According to the report, the new antitrust bills aimed at big tech will be marked up by the House Judiciary Committee next week, paving the way for them to be heard and debated in Congress.
The proposal is part of a package of bipartisan bills that would impose significant new constraints on how tech companies operate, restricting acquisitions and forcing them to exit some businesses. The House Judiciary Committee will mark up the five bills in a hearing next week, Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, the committee's chairman, said.
Apple has been under fire for potential antitrust practices concerning the App Store, its services, and its control of its operating system.
