Apple Tells Congress It Hasn’t Been Profiting From Repairs in Response to Antitrust Probe
As part of an antitrust probe, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Apple in September with questions about its policies for the App Store, product repairs, and more. Apple has since responded, and while many of the responses are predictable, the letter reveals a few noteworthy details.
For example, when asked to identify the total revenue that it has derived from repair services since 2009, Apple said “the costs of providing repair services has exceeded the revenue generated by repairs” in each year over that period.
Apple also said it has invested “billions of dollars” in Apple Maps since the app was released in 2012. Apple is currently in the process of revamping its Maps app with much more detailed mapping data, with the improvements now available in 27 states fully and another six states partially.
Apple defends many of its policies throughout the letter. For example, Apple says third-party web browsers on iOS devices must use its WebKit framework due to user privacy and security considerations. Apple gives a similar explanation for why third-party apps cannot be set as default on iOS devices.
