- EU chief says China must 'adapt its behaviour' to solve trade row
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- Lynx rally, stun Liberty in overtime in WNBA Finals opener
- Pogacar hunting 'perfect' season finale with Coppi's Il Lombardia record
- 'Soul of old Baghdad': city centre sees timid revival
- Kittle at the double as Niners hold off Seahawks
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Yankees advance in MLB playoffs as Guardians stay alive
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- Kamada says Japan can close in on World Cup place against Australia
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- Renewables revolt in Sardinia, Italy's coal-fired island
- Argentina held, Brazil leave it late in 2026 World Cup qualifiers
- Obama blasts 'crazy' Trump in first rally for Harris
- 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, a plea in favour of world order?
- Fry homers as Guardians down Tigers to stay alive in MLB playoffs
- Japan PM presses China's Li on airspace intrusion
- In Trump 'Truths,' conspiracies, attacks -- and doubts about the election
- How Sebastian Stan found a 'relatable' Trump for 'The Apprentice' biopic
- Panama's water wheel trash collector keeps plastic at bay
- It's still 'the economy, stupid,' says US political guru Carville
- Five key dates in the history of the America's Cup
- Zelensky to meet Pope, Scholz as whirlwind Europe tour ends
- At least 10 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Far from eye, Hurricane Milton's deadly tornados rampaged Florida
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Argentina held, Bolivia stun Colombia in 2026 qualifiers
- Socceroos have 'nothing to fear' from Japan
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial set for May 2025
- Bolivia stun Colombia in World Cup qualifiers
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Greece earn late win against England in Nations League, Italy-Belgium stalemate
- Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' hits US theaters weeks before election
- Pavlidis dedicates 'special' Greece win over England to tragic Baldock
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- 'Like a quake': Beirut shaken after deadliest strikes on centre
- Fallen giants Ghana in AFCON trouble after Sudan draw
- Asian leaders meet in Laos with US, Russia on world turmoil
- England gamble backfires as Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
- Obama stumps for Harris, Trump talks US protectionism
- New-look France ease past Israel in Nations League
- Belgium fight back to draw with 10-man Italy in Nations League
- 'Get a life': Hurricane whips up US election storm
- Japan stay perfect in World Cup qualifying
- Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey
- Lebanon says 22 dead in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
- NBA boss Silver sees games back in China 'at some point'
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
Apple's 'Walled Garden' under fire in lawsuit
Call it a "walled garden" or an ecosystem, but at the heart of Thursday's blockbuster US lawsuit against Apple are the many ways the company gets customers to remain faithful to its products.
- Apple versus PCs -
Very early on in its nearly half-century history, Apple made a decision that its products were to stand out alone and shouldn't be combined with products from other companies.
With fans touting its better design and easier interface, Apple computers often drew the vitriol of PC users who equated its products as a technological straitjacket, denying users flexibility to add software and features as they saw fit.
This ethos never left Apple and very much informs the accusations brought against Apple: the company built by Steve Jobs is like the Hotel California, you can check out but you can never leave.
- OS or nothing -
At Apple, hardware is always the center of its universe and before the advent of the iPhone, the pole star was the Mac computer that wouldn't run on Microsoft's world-dominating Windows operating system, or use a mouse that wasn't made for Apple.
Apple's software is specifically designed for its devices and intended to offer seamless integration. You simply are not allowed to run any other operating system than Apple's OS on Apple devices. The two are as one.
The world of Apple often draws comparisons to luxury goods rather than tech. To stay in this universe, you must pay a premium and discounts are rare.
- Garden grows -
With the iPhone revolution that made Apple one of the most profitable companies in history, the ecosystem only grew.
In 2012, headphones required the Apple-only lightning cable and no longer the audio jack that had done fine since the advent of the Sony Walkman. Apple's old chargers were made obsolete as well.
And while you can easily share media and files between iPhones, it's a lot more complicated when sharing between an iPhone and Android.
Apple's ecosystem now extends beyond hardware products to include services like iCloud, Apple Music, and the App Store -- and it is here that the company has found itself in hot water with regulators.
Companies such as Spotify, Meta and Fortnite-creator Epic Games accuse Apple of making it hard for them to grow on the iPhone, when the smartphone is where the vast majority of consumer computing now takes place.
- Switching never easy -
There is no question that iPhones work well with other Apple devices like Macs and the Apple TV.
And according to the company's detractors, the more deeply embedded users become in the Apple ecosystem, the harder it is to switch to competing products or services from other companies.
Switching from the iPhone becomes a little like losing your wallet: a major hassle that requires burdensome reprogramming, new accessories and learning a new way to interact with your pocket computer.
Give up the iPhone and you will have to give up your Apple Watch, or accept a world where your Airpods are glitchy, less reliable and a TV could miss a crucial update.
This "lock-in" effect is the main thrust of the US case against Apple -- that the iPhone maker blocks the exits to hike up prices on customers who feel they can't go anywhere else.
- Danger lurks -
Apple says its universe is part of the company's unique appeal to consumers who want the reliability, safety and ease that a beautifully designed closed system can provide.
The Android world, for example, is far more glitchy and prone to malware and bugs, Apple lovers argue.
The fees charged to developers and companies are the fair cost of entry to this Apple universe, the company says.
L.Mason--AMWN