Could Apple’s vise-like grip on the distribution of iPhone apps be slipping?
That’s the most important long-term question resulting from a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Monday, which allowed a lawsuit from a group of iPhone users who accused Apple of overcharging them for apps to proceed in a lower court. The case—which argues that Apple has monopolized the market for iPhone software by requiring all sales to go through its App Store—could take years to resolve and, if Apple loses, result in hefty financial damages to the company. But because the Supreme Court ruling opens the door to other legal challenges to Apple, that could pressure the company to eventually allow more competition in the sale of iPhone apps.
