The Morning After: Justice Department files antitrust lawsuit against Apple

The Department of Justice and more than a dozen states have filed a lawsuit against Apple in the US federal court, accusing the company of violating antitrust laws. It says Apple's hardware and software products are largely inaccessible to competitors, making it difficult for rivals to compete and for customers to switch to other companies' products. The lawsuit comes after the European Commission fined Apple 1.8 billion ( 1.95 billion) for stopping music-streaming developers from "informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available" outside the App Store. The DOJ suggests Apple used its control over iOS to block innovative apps and cloud streaming services from the public. The suit also suggests Apple has obstructed rival payment platforms, made it harder for Android messages to appear on iPhones and restricted how competing smartphones integrated with iOS devices.