Apple Targeted in Multi-State Consumer Protection Investigation
Several states have undertaken an investigation that is seeking to determine whether Apple deceived customers, according to documents discovered by the Tech Transparency Project and shared by Axios.
Details on the investigation are sparse, and it's not clear what Apple is under investigation for. The documentation suggests that the Texas attorney general could sue Apple for violating deceptive trade practices in the state as part of a multi-state investigation, but little else is known.
The document that was shared with Axios is from March and it says that Texas AG's Consumer Protection Division initiated an investigation "for enforcement purposes," and if violations are found, "enforcement proceedings" will be initiated.
As Axios points out, the consumer protection law in Texas policies practices that are false, deceptive, or misleading, but again, there's no specific word on what Apple did to trigger the investigation. A spokesperson for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton declined to comment to Axios on the investigation, as did Apple.
Apple also is facing a U.S. antitrust investigation alongside Google, Facebook, and Amazon, as well as an antitrust complaint from the European Commission, both of which are focusing on Apple's App Store fees and policies.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is set to testify in the U.S. antitrust hearing on Monday, July 27 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Popular Stories
After announcing new Mac and HomePod models last week, Apple adjusted its trade-in values for select devices in the United States.
iPhone trade-in values decreased by up to $80, and most Android smartphones also went down. Mac trade-in values remained unchanged or increased by up to $40 depending on the model, while some Apple Watch models increased in value and others decreased. Trade-in...
Apple's next-generation iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are expected to be announced in September as usual. Already, rumors suggest the devices will have at least seven exclusive features not available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.
An overview of the seven features rumored to be exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro models:A17 chip: iPhone 15 Pro models will be equipped with an A17...
While the new Mac mini with the M2 chip has a lower $599 starting price, the base model with 256GB of storage has slower SSD read and write speeds compared to the previous-generation model with the M1 chip and 256GB of storage.
A teardown of the new Mac mini shared by YouTube channel Brandon Geekabit reveals that the 256GB model is equipped with only a single 256GB storage chip, while the...
Apple today released tvOS 16.3, the third major point update to the tvOS 16 operating system that originally came out in September. Available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD, tvOS 16.3 comes six weeks after tvOS 16.2, an update that added Apple Music Sing.
The tvOS 16.3 update can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the Apple TV by going to System > Software...
Apple today released watchOS 9.3, the third major update to the watchOS 9 operating system that first launched in September. watchOS 9.3 comes over a month after watchOS 9.2, an update that added new Workout functionality and Crash Detection optimizations.
watchOS 9.3 can be downloaded for free through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by opening it up and going to General > Software Update. ...
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 16.3 will be released to the public next week. The software update will be available for the iPhone 8 and newer and includes a handful of new features, changes, and bug fixes.
Below, we've recapped bigger features in iOS 16.3, including support for physical security keys as a two-factor authentication option for Apple ID accounts, worldwide ...
The new M2-series MacBook Pro and Mac mini models launched today, marking the debut of the first M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. We have the M2 Pro Mac mini on hand, and thought we'd take a look at the machine and do a series of benchmarks to see how it fits into Apple's lineup.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Base model Mac mini machines come with either an M2 or M2 Pro...
Apple today released macOS Ventura 13.2, the second major update to the macOS Ventura operating system initially released in October. macOS Ventura 13.2 comes more than a month after macOS Ventura 13.1, an update that added the Freeform app and other changes.
The macOS Ventura 13.2 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System...
Top Rated Comments
IF Apple did do something wrong, they can't prepare ways to obfuscate it in advance
--
I'm genuinely curious how they would've deceived customers though -- unless it has something to do with the weird trade in marketing pricing stuff that is never all that clear at face value but that wouldn't just relate to a few states.
Apple have money, lots of it. States are haemorrhaging money. So, investigate Apple, find them guilty and fine them. Winning!