Cydia Sues Apple on Antitrust Grounds

Reed Albergotti, reporting for The Washington Post:

A new lawsuit brought by one of Apple’s oldest foes seeks to force the iPhone maker to allow alternatives to the App Store, the latest in a growing number of cases that aim to curb the tech giant’s power.

The lawsuit was filed on Thursday by the maker of Cydia, a once-popular app store for the iPhone that launched in 2007, before Apple created its own version. The lawsuit alleges that Apple used anti-competitive means to nearly destroy Cydia, clearing the way for the App Store, which Cydia’s attorneys say has a monopoly over software distribution on iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system.

What a hacky way to describe Cydia. The whole opening presents Cydia as straight up legit, as though being an “app store” on iPhone in 2007 had any means of working other than exploiting security vulnerabilities. And describing Cydia as “one of Apple’s oldest foes” is a deep shade of purple prose to say the least. Regarding “oldest”, it’s not like Apple was a new company in 2007. Regarding describing Cydia as Apple’s “foe”, well, I’m reminded of that scene in Mad Men. You know the one.

★ Friday, 11 December 2020