[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] The eternal rivals in the IT industry, Apple and Microsoft (MS), have recently shown signs of clashing again.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 27th (local time) that the two companies are in conflict over Apple's App Store operation policies.
Specifically, MS criticizes Apple for restricting iPhone users' access to its video game services.
In response, MS has shown support for Epic Games, which filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple.
Earlier, Epic Games filed a lawsuit against Apple last year, accusing it of abusing its market dominance by charging a 30% commission on all in-app payments made through the Apple App Store.
Apple emphasizes that its App Store control policies are essential to provide enhanced security services to consumers.
Apple, in turn, counters by accusing MS of using Epic Games as a front to manipulate the lawsuit behind the scenes.
On the 24th, when MS unveiled its new operating system Windows 11, CEO Satya Nadella stated, "The world needs a more open platform," seemingly targeting Apple's exclusive app marketplace policies.
WSJ explained that this situation is different from the past when MS was a much larger corporation and Apple was weaker, tracing the rivalry back to the mid-1970s when the founders of both companies, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, were at the forefront.
At that time, Apple and MS clashed over idea theft and other issues but reached a truce in 1997. Bill Gates even invested $15 million in Apple then.
Since then, the two companies appeared to maintain peace, but the Journal reports that the situation has recently changed.
WSJ predicts that as MS and Apple compete to dominate the emerging augmented reality (AR) market, conflicts between the two companies will intensify.
MS is already selling the HoloLens headset, and Apple is expected to launch AR devices around next year.
Investor advisor Gene Munster of Loup Ventures said, "Competition between the two companies is escalating," adding, "MS is heavily investing in the AR industry as a future growth area, and Apple will also spare no investment in this technology to strengthen its dominance in the mobile market."
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