Apple has submitted its official response to the antitrust lawsuit the Justice Department filed against it last year, which accused the company of having smartphone monopoly and criticized its "walled garden" approach to business. It said that the lawsuit threatens what sets the iPhone apart in a fiercely competitive market, reduce consumer choice, as well as erode competition. In addition, Apple warned that it could set "a dangerous precedent" in allowing the government to "take a heavy hand in designing people's technology."In its filing, as shared by 9to5Mac, Apple responded to every point made by the agency in its complaint. The DOJ said that "Apple stifles the success of 'super apps,'" or apps that offer multiple services on one platform, but the company's filing said that its "rules allow and support such apps." A multitude of them are available on the App Store today, the company added. Apple also denied the department's allegation that it blocks cloud streaming games and said that it allows game streaming over the web and in the App Store.The DOJ's allegation that it degrades third-party messaging apps is not true, the company also said, and they're widely available on the iPhone. Apple denied that it limits the functionality of third-party smartwatches and said that they can "effectively pair with iPhone," as well as "share data to and from the iPhone via a companion app." Another allegation was that Apple withholds access to iPhone hardware that's necessary for third-party digital wallets to be able to use its tap-to-pay technology. The company said it "developed and provides a mechanism that protects user security while enabling third-party developers to offer alternate payment applications.""Apple is simply not a monopolist," the company wrote in its filing. The DOJ, it said, measured its share in the smartphone market by revenue rather than unit sales. It also put smartphones and "performance smartphone" in separate categories, which "does not correspond to economic reality." Apple accused the DOJ of narrowly focusing on Apple "without fairly considering the major manufacturers like Samsung and Google that [the company] contends with in the United States, not to mention the various lower-cost manufacturers - especially from China - that Apple confronts globally."As 9to5Mac notes, the lawsuit is now heading to discovery phase, where both sides will now have to gather evidence to support their case.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-says-dojs-antitrust-lawsuit-would-reduce-consumer-choice-130045615.html?src=rss

Apple is shifting more iPhone production to India ahead of next month's iPhone 17 launch, Bloomberg reports. The company will build all four iPhone 17 models there, and for the first time US-bound shipments for the entire lineup will come from India at launch.The shift comes amid production expansion across five factories in India, including two plants that recently opened. Apple has been working to decrease its reliance on China for the manufacturing of US-bound iPhones.According to Bloomberg, factories controlled by Tata Group, an Indian multinational headquartered in Mumbai, will account for as much as half of India's iPhone output over the next two years. Apple's longtime partner Foxconn Technology Group is also involved through its production hub in Bangalore.The iPhone 17 lineup is expected to be unveiled in September, though the exact date is still unknown. We expect to see the usual iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max models announced, with the added possibility of a slimmer premium model in the form of an iPhone Air. The iPhone 17e, the next generation of Apple's budget-friendly model, is more likely to arrive in early 2026 if it follows the same pattern as the iPhone 16e.In the United States, the Trump administration had threatened Apple with tariffs on iPhones if it continued manufacturing the devices overseas. More recently, however, Apple announced from the Oval Office that it would invest an additional $100 billion in the US as part of a new American Manufacturing Program." This was announced as part of a $600 billion overall investment by Apple to produce more components domestically.While India is among the many countries facing the Trump administration's ever-changing tariff landscape, Bloomberg reported earlier this summer that iPhones imported from India have so far evaded tariffs as the US Commerce Department works to determine what sectors it deems vital to national security. With that in mind, it's not surprising to see Apple shipping as many iPhones to the US from India as possible, at least for now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-is-reportedly-manufacturing-all-four-iphone-17-models-in-india-145528499.html?src=rss

We're still waiting for Apple to make the official announcement for the iPhone event that usually takes place in September. At that event, they'll showcase the new iPhone 17 lineup which will come equipped with the latest iOS 26 features preinstalled, as well as any additional features Apple reveals at the launch event. But since we (presumably) still have to wait a few weeks until the iPhone event, we can only speculate what the new devices will look like. As with most unreleased iPhones, rumors and leaks have trickled in about the hardware side ahead of the official introduction. Here's what we're expecting and what we can reasonably assume we'll get from Apple in September.What are the latest iPhone 17 rumors?Not necessarily a "new" rumor but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes there actually will be a new orange color offered for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, as well as a light blue color for the iPhone 17 Air, he confirmed in his weekly Power On newsletter.Additionally, we have a new case rumor. According to leaker Majin Bu, there will be new Liquid Silicone cases in eight colors, including Deep Orange, Pale Orange, Grass Green, Celadon, Fog Purple, Grey Blue, Dark Blue and Midnight Black.