US considers bill to ban Apple from pre-installing its apps on iPhone

Manufacturers often pre-install their applications on smartphones, before selling them to users. This is a very obvious fact, but the US Congress is considering a bill that could ban Apple from pre-installing apps on the iPhone. The bill builds on the antitrust reform law, which was passed last week.

The person who introduced the bill is one of the members of the US House of Representatives, which is seeking to punish leading technology companies for signs of unfair competition, including Apple, Facebook, Google and Amazon.

One of the bill’s proposals would prevent these tech companies from placing their products or apps above their competitors’. For example, Apple pre-installs its applications on the iPhone instead of Google applications, or Google prioritizes search results related to its products and services.

The bill also prevents large companies from acquiring competitors. Fees for acquisitions valued at more than $1 billion will also increase significantly, in order to generate additional revenue for Congress in maintaining healthy competition.

Apple and Google are accused of manipulating search results to prioritize their products and services above those of their competitors. Meanwhile, Amazon’s Prime service allegedly favors Amazon’s products more than its competitors’.

Clearly, the battle between legislators and leading tech companies is still getting fiercer. Apple used to have to approve under the Russian government, about pre-installing some applications of this country. Whether Apple has to accept the new regulations of the US Government or not, let’s wait and see.

Reference: phonearena