A group representing major tech companies such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Facebook has aligned with Apple against Qualcomm by calling on regulators to reject Qualcomm’s bid to ban the import of iPhones, reports Reuters. Makes sense. After all, the “enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
The lobbying group filed comments with the U.S. International Trade Commission.They argue that banning Apple from importing foreign-assembled iPhones that use Intel chips – as Qualcomm wants to see happen – would cause “significant shocks to supply” for phones and would hurt consumers.
“If the ITC were to grant this exclusion order, it would help Qualcomm use its monopoly power for further leverage against Apple and allow them to drive up prices on consumer devices,” Ed Black, the CEO of the group, said in a statement. “What’s at stake here is certainly the availability of iPhones and other smartphones at better prices.”
Apple has filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm, the world’s dominant supplier of baseband processors, alleging the chip supplier demanded unfair terms for its technology. However, Qualcomm denies the allegations. Hacked off over Apple’s decision to stop paying it billions of dollars in licensing fees for smartphone chips, the world’s dominant supplier of baseband processors has asked the International Trade Commission to ban the imports of iPhones.
