-Britain’s competition watchdog said it will look into Apple Inc’s and Google’s mobile browser market dominance, as well as Apple’s restrictions on cloud gaming through its app store.
On Friday, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it was launching enforcement action against Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., for its app store payment methods.
According to the report, the two tech giants have an “effective duopoly” over mobile ecosystems, giving them a stronghold on operating systems, app stores, and mobile web browsers. Following the release of a report on mobile ecosystems, CMA Chief Executive Andrea Coscelli stated, “When it comes to how consumers use mobile phones, Apple and Google hold all the cards.”
“As brilliant as many of their services and products are, their stronghold on mobile ecosystems allows them to shut out competitors, limiting choice and holding back the British tech sector.”
It claimed that Apple’s or Google’s browser engines powered 97 per cent of all mobile web browsing in the UK last year and that Apple had also blocked alternatives to its own browser on iPhone. The CMA expressed concern that this would severely limit competing browsers’ ability to differentiate themselves from Apple’s Safari, for example, in terms of speed and functionality.
Apple said in a statement that its ecosystem had “produced a safe and trustworthy experience people adore, as well as a terrific financial opportunity for developers.”
“We respectfully disagree with a number of the report’s conclusions, which undervalue our investments in innovation, privacy, and user performance – all of which contribute to why iPhone and iPad consumers adore them.”
Google claims that smartphones running on its Android operating system gives users and businesses more options than any other mobile platform and that its Google Play app store has helped millions of apps get started.
Learn more about this at usews.com
