Pluralistic: Web apps could de-monopolize mobile devices (13 Dec 2022) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

Antitrust, the App Store, and Apple

Apple’s case before the Supreme Court is about standing; Apple has a strong case. That, though, doesn’t mean the App Store isn’t a monopoly — and that Apple isn’t increasing…

Google, Facebook, and Amazon benefit from an outdated definition of “monopoly”

A few weeks ago, Italy fined Apple and Samsung €15 million for the “planned obsolescence” of their smartphones. The antitrust regulators allege that both companies pushed users to download software that slowed phone performance, forcing customers to buy replacement phones sooner.

The Internet Economy

We are living in an era of bundling. The big five consumer tech companies — Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft — have moved far…

Tim Sweeney on Twitter / X

Google is opening up Android all the way with robust support for competing stores, competing payments, and a better deal for all developers. So, we've settled all of our disputes worldwide. THANKS GOOGLE! https://t.co/Dq6eXNnZd0— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) March 4, 2026

Morgan Stanley: No, Apps Aren't Winning. The Mobile Browser Is. | MarTech

Last week, comScore released its Mobile App Report, which we covered. The report contained many interesting findings, but its big takeaway was this:

Evolving App Store Business Models - David Smith, Independent iOS Developer

I’ve been thinking this past week (as I often do) about the ever-changing landscape of the App Store. This year has seen some of the biggest changes in policy and structure that I can remember. We have new subscription pricing models, search ads, a substantial purge of older apps, new requirements for app names and a variety of little changes to the App Store app itself in iOS 10.

Manton Reece - App Store rent-seeking

Excellent article today from Ben Thompson. After laying out in detail why Apple has a strong argument in yesterday’s Supreme Court hearing, Ben moves to the larger question of the App Store monopoly:

U.S. K-12 Market for Mobile Devices Remains Flat; Only 2 Percent Growth in 2018

The technology companies powering the devices are finding ways to integrate their products with more partners and by offering new solutions, according to Futuresource Consulting.

Pluralistic: The worst possible antitrust outcome (03 Sep 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

Last year, Google lost an antitrust case to Biden's DoJ. The DoJ lawyers beat Google like a drum, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Google had deliberately sought to create and maintain a monopoly over search, and that they'd used that monopoly to make search materially worse, while locking competitors out of the market.

Simply Plural Web App

Simply Plural Web App

Carl Pei Thinks the Phone of the Future Will Only Have One App

Nothing’s CEO speaks to WIRED about how he sees the smartphone market playing out in an era of AI, and where he thinks the competition is going wrong.

Pluralistic: Google’s AI pricing plan (21 Jan 2026) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

Google is spending a lot on AI, but what's not clear is how Google will make a lot from AI. Or, you know, even break even. Given, you know, that businesses are seeing zero return from AI:

Platform wars: the final score — Benedict Evans

The platform wars and over and Apple and Google both won. So, what's the score, how many smartphones and tablet are out there, and what should we think about next?