by Elizabeth Troutman | Mar 26, 2024 | News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
The Arizona attorney general joined the Justice Department and 15 other state and district Attorneys General in suing Apple for monopolization or attempted monopolization of smartphone markets.
Filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the civil antitrust lawsuit holds that Apple illegally maintains a monopoly over smartphones by selectively imposing contractual restrictions on and withholding critical access points from developers.
“Apple undermines apps, products, and services that would otherwise make users less reliant on the iPhone, promote interoperability, and lower costs for consumers and developers,” the news release says.
Apple’s monopoly power allows it to extract more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses, and merchants, according to the news release. The lawsuit aims to restore competition to the market.
Apple generated annual net revenues of $383 billion and net income of $97 billion in fiscal year 2023. Apple’s net income exceeds any other company in the Fortune 500 and the gross domestic products of more than 100 countries.
The complaint says that Apple has monopoly power in the smartphone and performance smartphones markets. It uses its control over the iPhone to engage in a broad, sustained, and illegal course of conduct, maximizing revenue, the complaint continues.
Apple’s anticompetitive course of conduct includes blocking innovative super apps, suppressing mobile cloud streaming services, excluding cross platform messaging apps, diminishing the functionality of non-apple smart watches, and limiting third party digital wallet apps.
Other alleged illegal conduct includes affecting web browsers, video communication, news subscriptions, entertainment, automotive services, advertising, location services, and more.
In 2021, Arizona State Rep. Regina Cobb tried to fight the “anti-competitive and monopolistic practices of Big Tech” by passing a bill targeting Apple’s fees by requiring companies that run app stores with over a million downloads per year to allow apps to offer alternative payment processors.
But House Bill 2005 disappeared before a scheduled vote that could have sent it straight to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
Cobb said at the time that the fight to lower costs for businesses and consumers is far from over.
“I will never be intimidated by Silicon Valley and their bully tactics,” she said. “In fact, Big Tech’s desperation to kill HB 2005 has calcified my opinion that checking their monopoly power is more important than ever.”
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 5, 2023 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Another economic boon is coming to Arizona.
On Thursday, it was announced that Amkor Technology would be bringing a multi-billion-dollar campus to Peoria in the next few years. The company will be partnering with Apple to package and test silicon.
The new Amkor campus is expected be a $2 billion investment and create 2,000 jobs. The Peoria City Council will have to approve the development agreement in 2024.
The Chief Operating Officer for Apple, Jeff Williams, also noted the announcement in a press release for his company. Williams said, “Apple is deeply committed to the future of American manufacturing, and we’ll continue to expand our investment here in the United States. Apple silicon has unlocked new levels of performance for our users, enabling them to do things they could never do before, and we are thrilled that Apple silicon will soon be produced and packaged in Arizona.”
Governor Katie Hobbs weighed in on the news for her state, stating that this project would “be one of the most significant semiconductor investments in the U.S.” and that it would “solidify our state’s leadership in the semiconductor industry – reshoring an essential part of our supply chain to the United States.”
“Expansion of a US semiconductor supply chain is underway, and as the largest US-headquartered advanced packaging company, we are excited to lead the charge in bolstering America’s advanced packaging capabilities,” said Giel Rutten, Amkor’s president and chief executive officer. “Semiconductor companies, foundries, and other supply chain partners understand the need to strategically broaden their geographic footprint. The announcement of our new advanced packaging and test facility in Arizona is a clear signal of our intent to help our customers ensure resilient supply chains and be a part of a strong American semiconductor ecosystem.”
According to Amkor’s press release, the company has “secured approximately 55 acres of land with intent to build a state-of-the-art manufacturing campus with more than 500,000 square feet of clean room space.”
The announcement from Amkor follows a years-in-the-making project for the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) construction of a facility in north Phoenix, just outside of Peoria. TSMC’s investment is $40 billion and is expected to create thousands of additional jobs for the area. The facility is expected to start production of the semiconductor chips, that will be then tested and packaged by Amkor, in 2025, providing the company fills its quota of workers.
Peoria Mayor Jason Beck welcomed the announcement from Amkor and Apple, saying, “It is no secret that our nation is reshoring its advanced manufacturing industries. We are proud of Peoria’s global leadership in this movement, and the significant capital investment and quality jobs that it brings to our community. This tremendous announcement is a credit to the City Council’s commitment to economic development, and staff’s hard work and dedication on this project.”
This facility won’t likely be the last significant business and investment coming to Beck’s city. The Mayor’s TYR Tactical is one of Peoria’s largest employers, and he used that experience to shape his economic development vision for Peoria’s future. He campaigned on the construction of a city owned airport “that will create thousands of jobs and billions in economic impact” for Peoria, as well as the “creation of culture that is not only Pro Business but moves at the speed and efficiency of business.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
