I hope it is, because the alternative is that they're being allowed to get away with something that's against the law, bad for the free market, and anti-consumer.

Really? One of the few things keeping the creeping Google Chrome monopoly in check is bad for the consumer and bad for the market?

I, for one, am happy that Google isn't able to unilaterally dictate the next generation of web standards.

So you're saying the only reason that Chrome isn't more dominant is that some consumers cannot use it because of Apple and somehow that's a good thing? If iOS users would switch to Chrome if given the chance, isn't that a sign that they are currently worse off?

No, iOS users can already use Chrome, they just can't use Blink. The difference is whether Google can leverage their developer base to drive people to Chrome without having to provide a superior product to the consumer. Today developers have to support WebKit to get iOS users, instead of just throwing Safari users a popup that says "fuck you, download Chrome" like they do on desktop. I think it's at least arguable that many would prefer to do that than continue to support WebKit.

> If iOS users would switch to Chrome if given the chance

They already have the option to switch to Chrome on iOS. It's not like most iOS users know that Chrome on iOS is just a re-skinned Safari. They would use Chrome if Safari was insufficient for their needs or Chrome had some compelling feature they wanted. I have Chrome installed on my phone but it's so I can use the password manager, but I still prefer to use Safari as my browser.

Perhaps the fact that Chrome's limited to being a reskinned safari is the reason it doesn't have a compelling feature they want.

Almost any time anyone brings up accusations of anticompetitive behavior against Apple for the iOS ecosystem, notice that what they’re saying is “in order to make the smartphone market more competitive and give customers more choice, Apple should be forced to make their smartphone offerings less distinguishable from Android, the only other smartphone ecosystem.”

If more like chrome means more openness and choices for the public than who cares if it is like chrome or not like chrome.

If Apple decided there next phone would have no screen or phone it would automatically make it a better choice because it is so much more different from android? I don't buy that line of thinking.

> If more like chrome means more openness and choices for the public than who cares if it is like chrome or not like chrome.

Because it will make iPhones worse for a huge number of iPhone users. You might say “I don’t care if you’re less satisfied with your iPhone because you now have ‘more choice’ according to my limited definition.” But Apple presumably actually cares about how satisfied people are with their iPhones.

No, they should not force everyone's smartphones to be like a different smartphone.

Instead they should allow users to do what they want with their own device.

That way everyone gets what they want, with the device that they own.