Apple’s Control Over iPhone Moves It Closer to a Monopoly?

The control that Apple has kept over its prolific iPhone is unprecedented in the world of mobiles. Instead of treating it as a device that is manufactured and then sold, giving customers complete control over their newly purchased object, they maintain strict limits on where it can be sold and what kind of service can be used on it. To date, AT&T has been the only U.S. service provider that is allowed to work with the iPhone, except in rare cases when jailbroken phones where used with competitors. Now many people are wondering if Apple is fighting competition and looking for complete market hegemony, similar to what they did in the MP3 market.

This has been a public issue for the entire history of the iPhone. In October of 2007, a lawsuit was filed in California stating that the lock on iPhone, specifically when it came to camera and service functions, was in direct contrast to competitive market spirits. This was only compounded with the December 2008 lawsuit that was filed against Apple in relation to their music management and entire iPod series. This again was due to the restraints over application and file types that the devices allow.

As these complaints rise there have been no changes forced on Apple, which acts as a statement about the powerful lobby ingrained in companies like this. Apple restricts users so that the main focal point of media and software commerce is through their sole store. It is impossible to challenge the MP3 format because that was in place before the “i” series began rolling out, but with mobile programs and videos Apple is holding steadfast.

The concerns are there but it will not become a concerted effort to challenge this excessive power yielded by Apple until customers around the world stand up and demand a more egalitarian approach to their phones. Apple’s control is that of any dominant institution, but that power is only contingent on the subservient approach of the users. The lawsuits will not do much good, and therefore the customers have to make their voices heard by Apple representatives. Avoiding costly applications, going outside for media sharing, and jailbreaking their phones are all ways to communicate that the way the company is shutting out artists and programmers is both commercial and ethical suicide.

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