Apple Faces Antitrust Class Action Alleging iCloud Monopoly

Apple Inc. is “rigging the competitive playing field” for cloud services by unnecessarily restricting the storage of certain iPhone and iPad files to its iCloud platform, plaintiffs alleged Friday in a proposed class action.

Only iCloud, Apple’s own cloud platform, can host some data from Apple’s phones and tablets, including application data and device settings that users need to access when they replace their device, according to the complaint filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. This arbitrary practice has “unlawfully ‘tied’” Apple’s mobile devices and iCloud together, the complaint says.

As a result, Apple’s ...