2024-03-03 08:11:00
Apple is being sued in a class action lawsuit involving several users for limiting iCloud backup options. According to Bloombergthe action was filed by a law firm in Carlifonia, USA, which was already responsible for a US$560 million lawsuit against Apple for abusive pricing of MacBooks.
The 37-page document says Apple uses iOS and iCloud to “manipulate the competitive playing field” by restricting the storage of certain types of files on its cloud storage service.
There is no technological or security justification for Apple to require the use of iCloud for restricted files. Apple makes this distinction only to reduce competition and benefit its iCloud product over rival cloud platforms.
Another excerpt criticizes Apple’s pricing policy and the limitation on the integration of other platforms into its operating systems:
Apple has increased its iCloud prices to the point where the service generates almost pure profit. Apple’s ability to sustain these prices is a testament to its monopoly power.
Finally, the action also says that the free 5 GB storage is purposely low so that iPhone and iPad users are forced to hire additional space to store their backups. For comparison purposes, Google offers 15 GB free for Drive users and Android phones.
Apple device holders receive 5GB of free iCloud storage space, but as Apple’s iCloud revenues attest, most users find this insufficient for their storage needs and purchase a supplemental iCloud storage plan.
The text also mentions that iCloud’s initial free storage has never been updated since it was launched in 2011 by Steve Jobs at WWDC, causing frustration for Apple users, who are stuck with the cloud backup services offered by the company.
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