SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 30: Accessories on display next to an AirTag for the launch of the new Apple Air Tag at the Apple Store George Street on April 30, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. Apple’s latest accessory, the AirTag is a small device that helps people keep track of belongings, using Apple’s Find My network to locate lost items like keys, wallet, or a bag. (Photo by James D. Morgan/Getty Images)
Apple may face a new round of antitrust charges from the U.S. Department of Justice, and this time the focus will be on AirTag and other hardware.Politico Lawyers for the Justice Department are currently in the early stages of drafting charges, according to an informant. Although sources have pointed out that the Department of Justice is very “interested” in Apple’s hardware products, it is still unclear whether the final lawsuit will actually be fought. The Justice Department has been working on an antitrust investigation of Apple since 2019. But so far they’ve primarily targeted Apple’s restrictions on the App Store and its developer payment system, but they could then turn to tracker maker Tile’s years of public monopoly allegations against Apple.
In previous congressional testimony, Tile mentioned that Apple deliberately closed the Find My network in order to put Tile at a disadvantage. Then, under pressure, Apple opened its Find My network to some third-party vendors last year. But even so, they set a lot of restrictions, which could force companies like Tile to abandon their software ecosystems in favor of Apple’s.