Yes, they are hurting consumers by banning competing app stores. Just because they offer an acceptable product doesnt mean they can hamstring competitors. There is a right to be allowed to compete.

> There is a right to be allowed to compete.

You can always build your own phone and setup your own app store. Samsung does.

How is this different from telling people to move to a different town when their town bans walmart? I've invested considerably money into the apple ecosystem. I have a bunch of media on their cloud. Switching is a pain in the ass, why cant the gov just enforce anti competitive laws?

If you want Walmart products, you better follow Walmart.

> How is this different from telling people to move to a different town when their town bans walmart?

I generally agree with your point, but this is a weird argument: towns can and do ban big-box stores, and yes, "move to a different town" is exactly the only remedy people have, if they want to live close to those kinds of stores. And frankly we generally see that as a good thing! Big-box stores tend to kill downtowns.

> I've invested considerably money into the apple ecosystem.

This confuses your Walmart analogy quite a bit, because there's no such thing as "investing money into the Walmart ecosystem". Walmart doesn't have an ecosystem. If your Walmart closes down and other stores pop up to replace it, you just start shopping at those other stores, and likely don't really notice much of a difference.

And that's precisely the point of the issue with Apple. If I've been an iOS user for years and years, and suddenly Apple changes the terms to something I really don't like, it'll cost me a lot to switch to another platform.

Im investing the money and time into my house which you are now forcing me to sell.

No one is forcing you to sell. There are lots of people that are perfectly happy in the Walmart free town. There are people that are coming because it has no Walmart. And there were no contract signed that there would be a Walmart in the vicinity.

No I'm not. In the smartphone case, you've bought your iPhone, but you're only allowed to "furnish" it with items from the Apple App Store. If you don't like the Apple App Store, you're screwed. You have to sell or ditch your iPhone, and everything you've bought for it becomes worthless.

In the Walmart case, you've bought your house. Presumably up until now you've mostly relied on Walmart to furnish it, and to buy groceries, etc., etc. Walmart disappears. Your existing furnishings are fine and still work. You can buy more furnishings at other stores, and they will work just fine in your existing house, with your existing furnishings. You can buy groceries at another store, and consume that food just fine in your existing house. Also consider that Walmart has online ordering and ships things; if you really want to continue to get some items from Walmart, you can still do so.

Sure, if you're unwilling to take the entirely reasonable step of finding alternatives to Walmart, I guess you'd have to sell your house and move to a town that still has a Walmart. But that's... a pretty ridiculous course of action to take, honestly.