EU opens antitrust investigation into key Apple supplier Corning

The European Commission has announced its latest antitrust investigation, and it could once again have an impact on Apple.

The EC says it is investigating whether Corning, a key Apple supplier, “may have abused its dominant position on the worldwide market for a special type of glass that is mainly used to protect the screens of handheld electronic devices, such as mobile phones.”

Apple and Corning have a long-running relationship with the company suppling glass for the iPhone out of a factory in Kentucky. The partnership extends back to the launch of the first iPhone in 2007.

The European Commission, however, now wants to know whether “anti-competitive exclusive supply agreements” between Corning and “mobile phone manufacturers” could have affected competition:

The Commission has concerns that Corning may have distorted competition by concluding anti-competitive exclusive supply agreements with mobile phone manufacturers (Original Equipment Manufacturers or ‘OEMs’) and with companies that process raw glass (‘finishers’).

The Commission is concerned that the agreements that Corning put in place with OEMs and finishers may have excluded rival glass producers from large segments of the market, thereby reducing customer choice, increasing prices, and stifling innovation to the detriment of consumers worldwide.

The announcement from the EU doesn’t specifically mention Apple or the iPhone. It’s also worth noting that Corning has relationships with other manufacturers, including Samsung.

Apple has directly invested in Corning multiple times over the years. Corning was the first investment Apple made through its Advanced Manufacturing Fund in 2017, and it later expanded that investment in 2019 and again in 2021 following the introduction of the Ceramic Shield glass on iPhone 12.

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