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Comment by heavyset_go | Hacker News Reader

This is a good example of how innovation, competition and small businesses are being stifled by the anticompetitive behavior of the mobile app distribution cartel.

Consider contacting your state's Attorney General office, and the US Attorney General office. Many states' AG offices have antitrust divisions[1].

The US Dept. of Justice also has an Antitrust Division[2], along with a page that details how and why[3] to get in touch with them:

> Information from the public is vital to the work of the Antitrust Division. Your e-mails, letters, and phone calls could be our first alert to a possible violation of antitrust laws and may provide the initial evidence needed to begin an investigation.

The FTC has the Bureau of Competition[4], as well.

[1] https://www.naag.org/issues/antitrust/

[2] https://www.justice.gov/atr

[3] https://www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations

[4] https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-competi...

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"innovation, competition and small business"

Not to mention the effect on intellectually curious users (and learning). These computers bundled with phones are crippled, tinker-proof, and there is no way to extend or improve them after purchase except as according to the seller's business model. Un-tethering from the seller and opting not to use their servers is effectively discouraged or prevented. "Protecting you" is a suspect justification for all the hoops one must jump through to "accept the risk". There is no anticipation of user autonomy. The world according to the seller is divided into "developers" and "users". Anyone in both categories is intended to pay Apple twice. First for the hardware, then again for the "developer certificate" and a percentage of any licensing revenue.

Maybe that is what the market is demanding. Or maybe the market does not have full information and thus does not understand the full spectrum of possible choices. As long as the cartel persists we will never know.

Anyone know who the point of contact for this is in the state of California?

Name email and phone number would be great for us to see and share

Good Luck.

The State of California will do precisely nothing about the abuses of the largest company on the planet, domiciled in their state, employing tens of thousands of the most well-paid and politically-connected taxpayers of their State, whose primary competitor in this space is doing exactly the same thing to their users, is also domiciled in the State, and is also pissing firehoses of money into its budgetary coffers.

Your call will be politely received, and the regulator on the line will duly note your concerns. After the call concludes, the regulator's office will promptly file your concerns under L, for "LOL @ this fucking nerd".

While I disagree with Apple's policies (and really hate their behavior as a company), there's nothing anticompetitive about this.

Vote with your money and don't buy an iPhone.

As Rand would put it:

> “Free competition enforced by law” is a grotesque contradiction in terms.

I see this a lot. If I sold someone a computer that was a metal case full of crush-n-run and they sue me and win. It's not clear to me why Apple is exempt.

I have no idea what you mean or what your example is all about. You basically couldn't have given a worse analogy or example.

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