Apple's Tightly Knit iPhone Ecosystem

For a long time, Apple has been known to tightly integrate its products and services, creating an entire ecosystem of devices that “seamlessly work together”, as the company likes to point out. And while said “seamlessness” is undoubtedly one of the reasons why Apple’s devices are so popular, also and maybe especially among the less tech-savvy, it is now coming back to haunt them, as the line between deeply integrating your products and services and building illegal barriers of entry for competitors is perilously thin.

In Apple’s response to the DOJ’s antitrust accusations, the company vehemently defends its practices, saying that the lawsuit “threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets.” If found guilty, Apple says, it could no longer create the kind of technology people expect from it, namely “products that work seamlessly together” to create “a magical experience” for user.

There is no doubt that part of Apple’s success is the stickiness of its ecosystem, where an iPhone user is much more likely to buy an Apple Watch, AirPods or any other Apple device or accessory. According to findings from Statista Consumer Insights, that effect is indeed significant. While 79 percent of iPhone users who own a smartwatch or fitness tracker use an Apple Watch, the same is true for just 22 percent of Android users. The same pattern can be observed for headphones, tablets and laptops, where iPhone users are much more likely to use Apple products than Android users are.