One developer of a competing free-chat client -- who requested anonymity -- said Apple was perfectly within its rights to release whatever it wants with its operating system and that comparisons to Microsoft were unfounded.

Apple is not "bundling," he said, because unlike IE in Windows, iChat can be completely removed from the system without affecting the computer's performance. The chatter isn't tied into the heart of the OS. It's merely an addition, and users aren't stuck with it.

This sentiment was echoed by Apple spokesman Bill Evans, who said the company didn't think of iApps as being part of the operating system. He noted that purchasing the operating system by itself does not include all the iApps included with the software. Only new Apple systems come with all the iApps, because Apple considers these programs essential to its computing experience.