In Japan, the Cupertino giant Apple is under an antitrust probe with regards to its smartphone operating system iOS. As per Nikkei Asia, Japan’s Fair Trade Commission will investigate the company’s dominance in the smartphone market aimed to curb the competition. The command of Apple is suspected to severely limit options for customers.
The probe will involve a study that includes surveys and interviews with app developers, users, and OS operators: Commission Secretary-General Shuichi Sugahisa to the media. The study will not only be conducted for smartphones but also expand to include smartwatches and other wearables.
Inside Apple Marunouchi, Tokyo, Japan | Source: Apple
The report also details that the investigation will prepare a report detailing the OS market structure and find out the reason for continued dominance leaving the competition in the dust.
The antitrust watchdog will compile a report outlining OS market structure and the reason why competition has remained static. The commission will work with the central government’s Digital Market Competition Council, which is moving forward with its own market probe.
Practices found to be anticompetitive will be itemized in the report, along with possible violations of Japan’s law against monopolies.
iOS in the Japanese market has a whopping 70% market share with 30% being Google’s Android OS. Apps have to apparently match up with the specs of the operating system to be able to work on respective devices. With regards to this too, an investigation will be carried out to see whether Apple (and Google) is using market share command to force its users with their default apps.
The Fair Trade Commission will probe whether Apple and Google-parent Alphabet are using their market supremacy to corner the apps and leave consumers at a disadvantage.