It goes on to argue the dominance of Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google has diminished consumer choice, eroded innovation and entrepreneurship in the U.S.
Perhaps most notably, the report concludes Apple enjoys a monopoly in app distribution on iOS devices.Apple leverages its control of iOS and the App Store to create and enforce barriers to competition and discriminate against and exclude rivals while preferencing its own offerings, the report says. Apple also uses its power to exploit app developers through misappropriation of competitively sensitive information and to charge app developers supra-competitive prices within the App Store.
In August, Epic bypassed the App Store with its Mega Drop promotion, giving mobile players the option to pay for the titles in-game currency directly.
Among other recommendations, the report also suggests strengthing antitrust laws and requiring dominant tech companies to make their platforms compatible with the services of their competitors.
The totality of the evidence produced during this investigation demonstrates the pressing need for legislative action and reform, the report says.
If enacted, the changes recommended by the report would dramatically reshape the tech industry, but Democrats and Republicans arent in agreement on the broader points of the report.
The App Store has enabled new markets, new services and new products that were unimaginable a dozen years ago, and developers have been primary beneficiaries of this ecosystem. Original article