One, you probably saw this coming, but this is not unique to Apple Pay as Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Paze work the same.
Two, while the DPAN changes between merchants, it is always the same for subsequent transactions at the same merchant. So yes, while this does block data brokers from easily buying transaction data from a bunch of different merchants and figuring out shopping trends across those merchants, it does nothing to stop a single merchant from seeing your transaction history with just the DPAN provided by Apple Pay. If that Target story from forever ago about Target knowing a teen was pregnant based on their Target purchase history, Apple Pay doesn’t stop someone like Target from being able to track that. And yes, it’s the same with the other digital wallets out there.
You memo pad, you. You are everything to me. You hold 660 of my original thoughts. That would be too much for anyone to bear, yet you do it with grace and efficiency.
The complaint, as a whole, paints a picture of Apple in a similar moment to Microsoft at the height of its power. Microsoft saw the rise of the web coming and realized its dominance was threatened. The DOJ portrays Apple seeing a similar problem as the iPhone gained success: “Apple’s internal documents show that, soon after the iPhone’s introduction and notwithstanding its success, the company began to fear that disintermediation of its platform and the commoditization of the iPhone would threaten Apple’s substantial profits from iPhone sales and related revenue streams.”
Apple has denied it acts illegally, with spokesperson Fred Sainz saying that the suit “threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets.” But key parts of the suit use the words of Apple’s own executives against the company. The DOJ lawsuit quotes internal emails to argue that Apple knowingly restricts users and developers in unfair ways.
It’s hard to blame Google, Samsung, and other smartwatch makers. The iPhone-Apple Watch connection is so well established, why put in all that effort to serve customers who don’t want to be lured away? Plus, it’s not like they can deliver the same exact experience even if they wanted to. As the DOJ complaint notes, Apple limits API access to third-party smartwatch makers. Say you have a Garmin smartwatch. You’ll be able to send quick replies if it’s paired to an Android phone but not an iPhone. This is the case with all platform-agnostic smartwatches. Whenever I ask companies about this, they give me the equivalent of a shrug and say that’s up to Apple.
Allensworth thinks that DOJ’s strategy was informed by Epic v. Apple. Rather than limiting the relevant market to devices that run Apple’s operating system, prosecutors decided to pick the smartphone market as its battleground, “which is an easy case to make on the market definition side, but sets up a bigger fight on the monopoly power side,” according to Allensworth. “There will be a big fight over whether or not that 65–70 percent gives them monopoly power.”
Morgan Stanley analysts said Friday that the current lawsuit could also favor Apple, as many similar allegations have already been ruled on by a judge in the Apple vs Epic case, with the ruling stating that Apple does not violate antitrust laws. The DOJ filing also only makes a relatively passing mention of Apple’s $10 billion-plus search deal with Google and doesn’t cite the App Store as one of its five principal examples of monopolistic behavior.
I have to imagine Apple's case is going to be pretty strong here. If nothing else, their market position simply doesn't scream monopoly – let alone illegal monopoly – on the surface. According to recent estimates, the iPhone has something between 50 to 60 percent market share in the US. This isn't Microsoft Windows with 90 percent+ market share. And yes, there's obviously more to it than just market share. But that fundamental aspect is going to linger over this entire case. You can disagree with the current laws and definitions (profit share, anyone?), but it's hard to see a world in which the smartphone market isn't competitive from a pure market share perspective.
Essentially, the DOJ is arguing that any company which tried and failed to make a smartphone failed because of Apple’s dominance.
It seems to me that the DOJ is confusing ‘monopoly’ with ‘ecosystem.’ Apple's full-stack control, from silicon to components to platform to consumer hardware, is almost unmatched in the industry. The Apple ecosystem, and the considerable consumer benefits it offers, springs directly from that control.
Codeweavers is one of the simplest ways to run Windows apps on a Mac, and you don’t even need Windows.
As a fan of all types of music, I’ve enjoyed Radio Garden more than any of the various streaming apps as I can discover music and bands I’d never even heard about.
Apple entered the dates incorrectly in the system, causing the update to be released to all AirTags at once.
Today, the Wall Street Journal says Apple also held talks with Baidu, to license its models. This would likely be intended to serve AI requests to Apple customers in China, as Chinese law requires models to be approved by its regulator before they are allowed to be used.
In recent weeks, the company has ceased an in-house effort to create screens with microLED technology, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The displays, which featured brighter and more vibrant visuals, would have been added to a future version of the Apple Watch — before potentially going into other products.
But the cost and complexity of the effort ultimately proved too great. So Apple is now reorganizing the teams that handle display engineering and eliminating several dozen roles in the US and Asia, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private.
I am having a hard time motivating myself to work on my hobby project.
Is it still a hobby?
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Thanks for reading.