In case you weren’t reading the news, the Department of Justice of the United States has just filed an Antitrust lawsuit against Apple. Now Apple getting sued isn’t exactly the news we publish here, but this one is relevant. The DoJ has blamed Apple for the death of Windows Phones.
Ah, the death of Windows Phone. Something I still love to think of what-if situations if it were still around. It was the cleanest and fastest mobile OS for me. The UI was drop-dead gorgeous with the live tiles and minimalistic design. And who could forget the devices? The Nokia Lumia 520, 720, 920 and 1020. Some of the best-looking phones to date.
With the imaging prowess and impeccable performance, Windows Phones were picking up when a lot of missteps killed it. Before we blame others, it was Microsoft’s fault mostly. The continuous reboot of the OS with older devices not getting newer OS updates and leadership mistakes.
Then there was the problem with apps and carriers in the US not promoting the devices. Many blame Google here for blocking their popular apps on Windows Phone and it was a big reason. A former engineer even went on Reddit to discuss how it affected the sales.
Even the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella admitted that killing off the Mobile business was not a good decision. Whatever may be the case, Windows Phone is dead and Microsoft killed it.
Fans of the former OS have always blamed Google and Microsoft for the death of Microsoft’s mobile division. Now, with the DoJ report, fans have one more organization to blame.
The report claims Apple has sort of monopolized the market and has prevented the growth of potential competitors. The DoJ charges Apple with anti-competitive processes of not allowing other app stores and maintaining their “walled garden” ecosystem.
While this is not news, Apple getting directly blamed for Microsoft shutting their Mobile division is something we haven’t heard of before:
“Many prominent, well-financed companies have tried and failed to successfully
enter the relevant markets because of these entry barriers. Past failures include Amazon (which released its Fire mobile…) Microsoft (which discontinued its mobile business in 2017),” DoJ noted in its report.
DoJ added that HTC sold its smartphone business to Google in September 2017, and LG exited the smartphone market in 2021. Currently, only Samsung and Google are seen as notable competitors, with Google lagging significantly behind Apple and Samsung due to these barriers.
The DOJ highlighted Apple’s market power, noting its ability to skip innovations without risking losing customers. Furthermore, the DOJ brought attention to a 2022 interaction where Apple’s CEO Tim Cook was questioned about fixing iPhone-to-Android messaging issues.
To a plea for making video sharing easier across platforms, Cook’s response was, “Buy your mom an iPhone.”
The full report in its entirety can be found here for a read.
What do you think of it? Is Apple responsible for the death of Windows Phones or is the DoJ putting too much blame on them?
