> they do it because they can

against the desires of the entire global community of developers. the hallmarks of a true monopoly

Not a monopoly, at least not outside US. But a very capricious high end electronics brand

Depends how you define the market. They are 100% a monopoly for the iOS apps market.

And Ferrari is a 100% monopoly supplier of Ferrari engines.

The only difference is that you can choose two kinds of evil for something required for everyday life, while you can live without a car or choose from several different ones. Owning the former platform is great power that shouldn’t be unilaterally controlled by a private company.

My parents get by entirely fine without a mobile device (smart or feature). It's convenient, but not required.

There was an article here yesterday about how new apartment buildings have only electronic locks that require either an iPhone or an Android to get into the apartment. I’m sure they’re not introducing those at a retirement home any time soon, but it’s increasingly becoming a requirement for daily life.

The Ferrari engine market doesn't quite have the importance of the billions of users, billions of dollars, globe spanning, App Store.