“Mua cho mẹ bạn chiếc iPhone”: CEO Tim Cook’s Joke Becomes Evidence Against Apple in US Department of Justice Case
At the Code Conference 2022, Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, faced several questions from the audience in a session moderated by tech journalist Kara Swisher. Vox Media reporter LiQuan Hunt asked Cook if Apple had any plans to improve the messaging experience between iPhones and Android smartphones.
Specifically, Hunt referred to the green text messages that iPhone users receive when someone using an Android phone sends them a text. Initially, Cook dismissed the need to enhance the messaging experience between Android and iPhone.
“I don’t see our users demanding the company to invest heavily in that at this time,” Cook replied, eliciting laughter from the remaining audience.
However, Hunt persisted, stating, “Not to get personal, but I can’t send my mom certain videos, or my mom can’t send me certain videos.”
“Buy your mom an iPhone,” Cook interjected, prompting even more laughter before Swisher moved on to another question.
Perhaps at that moment, Cook did not anticipate that his spontaneous remark would become… evidence against Apple in a court case.
More than a year later, that conversation appeared on page 39 of the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) complaint against Apple. According to the DOJ, this is one of several examples of Apple’s anti-competitive behavior in the smartphone market.
The complaint states, “Apple protects its smartphone monopoly by degrading cross-platform messaging apps and rival smartphones.”
After Cook’s comment, the company did announce that there would be some changes to the messaging experience between Android and iPhone. Apple is said to be adding support for Rich Communication Services (RCS) to the iPhone later this year. This will provide non-iMessage users with access to features such as better image quality and “read receipts.”
However, the issue is not just about messy text messages between users, according to the DOJ. The complaint alleges that Apple also blocked at least one developer who was providing end-to-end encryption for Apple Messages between iPhones and Android phones—a move that made iPhone users “less safe than they could be.”
Apple has pushed back against the lawsuit, stating that if successful, it would limit the company’s ability to innovate. “We believe this lawsuit is meritless and resolutely oppose it,” the company said in a statement.
Business Today
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