Apple and Google have long held a veritable stranglehold on the app market, and it turns out that the Biden administration might be looking to crack down on that. The NTIA in the US Commerce Department has conducted an investigation into the competitiveness of the app market, and this investigation revealed that the ecosystem is so restrictive that it is making things harder for developers than might have been the case otherwise.
A key aspect of innovation is allowing all people to take part in the process, but in spite of the fact that this is the case Apple and Google have been quite selective and restrictive about who gets to put up apps on their respective stores and platforms. According to the report that was released by this department, it seems like these two tech companies have essentially created barriers as well as unnecessary costs that can become a real burden on developers who are making apps.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that both Apple and Google have taken issue with these claims. According to Apple, the rules that it has put in place are meant for one purpose: consumer safety. Google for its part has claimed that it is not nearly as restrictive as Apple, which is something that can already be seen in the features that it supports such as sideloading on Android.
One thing that this reports asserts is that while Google and Apple are free to charge developers and set up whatever rules they like, they can’t use proprietary data gleaned from apps on their stores in order to make their own versions of those apps. This is a surprisingly common practice that both tech companies frequently engage in, and it is having a harmful impact on the industry as whole.
The tech world often clashes with governments regarding a wide variety of things, and this will end up being yet another example of that. There is no guarantee that these cases will go to court but if they do they will embroil Apple and Google in even more legal troubles.
Read next: What Trends Are In Store For The Digital World In 2023? This New Report Has The Answer
A key aspect of innovation is allowing all people to take part in the process, but in spite of the fact that this is the case Apple and Google have been quite selective and restrictive about who gets to put up apps on their respective stores and platforms. According to the report that was released by this department, it seems like these two tech companies have essentially created barriers as well as unnecessary costs that can become a real burden on developers who are making apps.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that both Apple and Google have taken issue with these claims. According to Apple, the rules that it has put in place are meant for one purpose: consumer safety. Google for its part has claimed that it is not nearly as restrictive as Apple, which is something that can already be seen in the features that it supports such as sideloading on Android.
One thing that this reports asserts is that while Google and Apple are free to charge developers and set up whatever rules they like, they can’t use proprietary data gleaned from apps on their stores in order to make their own versions of those apps. This is a surprisingly common practice that both tech companies frequently engage in, and it is having a harmful impact on the industry as whole.
The tech world often clashes with governments regarding a wide variety of things, and this will end up being yet another example of that. There is no guarantee that these cases will go to court but if they do they will embroil Apple and Google in even more legal troubles.
Read next: What Trends Are In Store For The Digital World In 2023? This New Report Has The Answer
