this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2023
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This is the answer.
Apple wasn't abusing their monopoly, while "Don't Be Evil" Google was colluding to protect theirs.
A monopoly is inherently abusive. It abuses centralized power to gain more power. But I would argue that Apple built their monopoly "honestly" from the ground up, and from day one the rules haven't changed. Google started with an open platform, and sneakily changed the rules and made deals to get their monopoly.
Both are objectively bad. But Google's method was more open to legal scrutiny, in hindsight.
Apple change the rules right under people's apps all the time, in much more scumbag ways, e.g. https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/16/22676706/apple-watch-swipe-keyboard-flicktype-lawsuit-kosta-eleftheriou
Fair, they do shit like that. But this case was about app stores specifically, and they haven't allowed alternate app stores since day one.
The fact that one kind of monopoly isn't abuse on technical grounds (but still is abuse is in many other ways) but another monopoly is abuse is exactly the problem being highlighted. Why are we just sweeping this problem under the rug of public opinion?