This old Tim Cook joke could hurt Apple

To prove that Apple is involved in anti-competitive practices, the United States Department of Justice is focusing on a joke made by Tim Cook in 2022.

In the United States, Apple is the subject of a complaint filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) accusing it of having an illegal monopoly. The affair – which takes place just after the European DMA – is necessarily followed closely. Thus, even the slightest inconsistency does not go unnoticed. This is the case, for example, of the extract from the complaint (PDF) that attracted a lot of attention.

In paragraph 92 of the document, the Justice Department refers to an anecdote from two years ago.

In 2022, Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked if the company would solve the messaging problem between iPhone and Android. “It’s hard,” pleaded the interlocutor, “I can’t send some videos to my mother without wanting to make it personal.” Mr. Cook’s response? “Buy your mother an iPhone.”

Apple bosses probably saw it as nothing more than a joke at the time, but now it’s being used against his company in an attempt to prove Apple’s unfair attitude towards competition.

Tim Cook joke

Let’s put the context back a bit. The exchange code conference cited by the DOJ was held in 2022. Tim Cook, along with other speakers, is on stage to answer some questions from the audience. The person who calls him asks if the firm intends to facilitate an exchange between iPhone and Android smartphones. At that time, RCS had not yet arrived on iMessage and so many features were broken as soon as we left the Apple ecosystem (HD videos, emoji reactions, acknowledgment of receipt, input in progress, group chats…).

“I don’t hear our users asking to put a lot of energy into it at this point», replies Tim Cook, the first to get in touch. However, this concern for incompatibility remained due to Apple’s inaction.

Then a man in the audience, himself using an iPhone, replies that he can’t send some videos to his mother and vice versa. And Tim Cook then interrupts with a smile:Buy your mother an iPhone”

Why mention this joke in the complaint?

Some may see this as arrogance, or even a form of contempt. However, it is hard to see the American justice condemning Apple because its leader was arrogant during the conversation. On the other hand, the DOJ is undoubtedly using this sequence to prove that the Apple firm was aware of the messaging problem and was willing to let things go.

Indeed, Apple wants to ensure that iMessage will become so important to the iPhone experience that the prospect of dropping the service will deter anyone from switching from iOS to Android. With this in mind, the company had every interest in not improving the exchange between iPhone and Android smartphones.

A case with twists and turns

Despite these possible explanations, there is something surprising about seeing the Department of Justice in the United States take the time to quote a Tim Cook joke in a very official document. Additionally, this affair should continue to generate ink.

Apple has already been forced to admit that it tried to make the Apple Watch compatible with Android and then gave up while companies at odds with Apple were happy to see it in trouble with the justice system. For his part, Tim Cook isn’t his first potentially expensive statement for Apple.