Brendan Carr of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the USA has called for a closer examination of Apple’s actions regarding the Beeper Mini.
The Beeper Mini was introduced to the market to enable the use of the iMessage service on non-Apple devices. It allowed users to send and receive iMessage messages without needing Apple hardware. Apple was less than pleased, and after a few weeks of playing “Whac-A-Mole,” the Beeper Mini gave in.
During this time, various members of the US Congress voiced their concerns, raising fears that Apple’s conduct may be anti-competitive.
This comes amidst increasing scrutiny of Apple both in the US and Europe. In response to a user’s comments about the accessibility settings available on iDevices, Carr responded, “Do these settings fix the degraded image quality, lowered video resolution, removal of location information, unavailability of advanced photo-taking features, etc. when sending messages with Android?”
“There are certainly many negative (including competitive) consequences that arise from Apple’s decisions regarding iMessage.”
The debate over the Blue Bubble vs. Green Bubble seems to be far from over, at least when it comes to the US.
Readers of the Register will be familiar with Carr’s activities, as a commissioner appointed by Trump who supported Elon Musk’s Starlink. This support came both in January after the promise of millions of dollars by the Biden administration for access to high-speed internet and in 2022 after the FCC decided to withdraw a nearly billion-dollar award for Starlink.
In addition to highlighting the Beeper Mini incident, Carr stated, “Apple’s wide range of exclusionary practices warrants scrutiny by antitrust and competition agencies.”
We asked the FCC if they intend to proceed with Carr’s request, but we have not yet received a response from the agency. We also reached out to Apple for comment. ®
FAQ:
1. What is the Beeper Mini?
The Beeper Mini is a device that allows the use of Apple’s iMessage service on non-Apple devices such as phones and tablets. It enables users to send and receive iMessage messages even without owning an Apple device.
2. How did Apple react to the introduction of the Beeper Mini?
Apple was unhappy with the introduction of the Beeper Mini and took actions that resulted in the device’s availability being discontinued after a few weeks.
3. What do members of the US Congress think about Apple’s actions?
Members of Congress have expressed their concerns and raised fears that Apple’s conduct may be anti-competitive.
4. What are the consequences of Apple’s iMessage decisions?
According to Brendan Carr of the FCC, Apple’s iMessage decisions have many negative, including competitive, consequences that require further examination by antitrust and competition agencies.
5. What are other controversies surrounding Apple?
There is increasing scrutiny of Apple in both the US and Europe. There are also debates over the Blue Bubble vs. Green Bubble, which are related to Apple’s activities.
Glossary:
1. FCC – Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the US government responsible for regulating radio, television, telephone, and internet communications.
2. Beeper Mini – A device that allows the use of the iMessage service on non-Apple devices.
3. iMessage – Apple’s messaging service that enables the sending and receiving of text messages, images, videos, etc. between Apple devices.
Related Links:
1. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
2. Apple Homepage
The source of the article is from the blog foodnext.nl