Apple Deal Responsible for Google's Dominance in Search, Says Microsoft CEO

[Shasterball]

So, a food company pays a grocery store to put the company’s food at the head of the isle, but consumers can look past it, and choose other foods in the same category, without undue strain.

Google paid Apple to be the default search engine, Apple chose them, and once there were other options, Apple made it easy for consumers to switch.

This case is a nothing-burger.

Terrible analogy. At a grocery store the average consumer can see the other options. On a phone, the average consumer doesn’t even know that google is the default and doesn’t know it can switch engines and doesn’t know how to switch.

It would be like going to the grocery store, only having wonder bread on the shelf, and having the “option” to buy other bread by somehow knowing other breads exist and knowing who to ask for other options even though you can’t even see the other options…

 

[CapitalIdea]

Is Apple also responsible for everyone dumping internet explorer for chrome? If bing was a viable option instead of a pile of rotting hot garbage why was MS trying to sell it? Also, I do not think we need to hear from them about what works to gain search market share when MS tried to buy Yahoo for $45 BILLION right as yahoo was starting to disintegrate.

 

[Flamingdeathbolts]

And Microsoft is the default operating system on so many computers….hmmm who here has a monopoly on a market

 

[GSWForever8]

Bing’s results and interface is terrible compared to google.

 

[Fuzzball84]

By default, I change the default away from Google. Except for Google maps and Youtube.. I avoid Google as much as possible...

 

[gaximus]

Or, “Google’s dominance in search responsible for Apple‘s deal”. Google was a verb before iPhone existed.

 

[dannyyankou]

Laughable. Google was dominant long before 2007. Maybe Bing would’ve had more mainstream success if the Windows Phone OS took off, but I think we all know how that went.

 

[Fuzzball84]

And Microsoft is the default operating system on so many computers….hmmm who here has a monopoly on a market

That doesnt make sense.... Microsoft don't dictate what manufacturers can put on their laptops and desktops... indeed some come with Linux.

With a PC you're free to change to whatever OS you want..

 

[SanderEvers]

I don't like Google. But whenever I try to use Bing, I really quickly go back to Google. Google is just 1000x better, in any aspect.

I do use DuckDuckGo for more sensitive searches.

 

[MacBH928]

says the guy who warns you if you install anything other than Edge as your default browser on Windows.

You want to be the default, pay more. End of story.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

Google was a verb years before Apple entered the mobile market. Satya knows this, and that Google’s dominance wouldn’t have changed even if they weren’t the default engine — users would still have chosen Google or used the browser to access Google directly. We now have more options, so maybe it makes sense to prompt the user during setup as to which engine they prefer — but which one will be listed first? Because the placement of options in a list will be meaningful. Regardless, most users would probably still choose Google. And again, Satya knows this but wants to say the whole thing is unfair. I don’t blame him, and I don’t think Google would be as dominant if Satya had been in charge of Microsoft years earlier.

 

[deconstruct60]

I use DuckDuckGo. Have for years as my default search engine. I literally never use Google and certainly don’t use Bing, though the OpenAI is pretty neat from the little exposure I’ve had to it watching friend’s at work use it.

Chuckle at all of these "Bing is horrible ... I use DuckDuck Go " comments. Where do you think DDG is getting a huge chunk of results from?????

" ... Of course, we have more traditional links and images in our search results too, which we largely source from Bing. Our focus is synthesizing all these sources to create a superior search experience. ..."

Where do DuckDuckGo search results come from? - DuckDuckGo Help Pages

DuckDuckGo is an independent internet privacy company that offers a private alternative to Google search & Chrome in one free app.

duckduckgo.com

A couple of these search alternatives (besides DDG ) also use Bing as a "backend". They are not 'defeating' Google at all in holistic substance of search. And certainly not defeating Bing .... since they hugely depend upon it.

Apple with about equally almost nothing in bulk search would be in similarly deep hole.

 

[Fuzzball84]

The money involved clearly indicates having it as a default is truly significant... Google will have done their work on this and they are prepared to pay billions for it.

 

[eicca]

It also helps when you produce a really good comprehensive search engine.

Google is a terrible search engine. To be fair, no others are really any better. But Google in particular serves up results for what it THINKS I meant instead of what I actually typed in, and usually the results involve some kind of product sales.

 

[Queues]

It also helps when you produce a really good comprehensive search engine.

This was very true until a few years ago. Google is only marginally better than Bing these days.

I personally use Ecosia, but while that sucks too at least I get to feel like a good person using it.

 

[Fuzzball84]

I don't like Google. But whenever I try to use Bing, I really quickly go back to Google. Google is just 1000x better, in any aspect.

I do use DuckDuckGo for more sensitive searches.

They should do a test where the results of a search are done blind... you don't know whether the results are from Google or Bing etc... and then ask if you can tell which is which.

I think this test has been done by various marketing and survey companies and it's surprising how much a brand can influence your perception of correctness and quality.

 

[jz0309]

LOL - thanks MR for making me laugh hard ...

wonder what he says about MS bundling Teams with Office? ph wait, there are lots of Office competitors out there ...

 

[andrewxgx]

oh, thats why you try so hard to push Edge as a default browser with every scammy trick ever concieved?

 

[dork]

I totally understand how and why Google pays billions to leverage default bias -- most people won't ever even look at, let alone change, the defaults that their computers and phones came with. But for my part, I reset the default browsers on all my Apple devices to DuckDuckGo a long time ago - so clearly it can be done.

 

[antiprotest]

"You get up in the morning, you brush your teeth, and you search on Google," said Nadella.

Nadella went on to say that Google is able to use its ~90 percent market share to improve search results

Like he's advertising for Google. I get what he means though.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

That's pretty rich coming from Microsoft who goes out to corner the market by buying up their competitors like Bethesda and Activision. Maybe Microsoft should buy Google? 🤓

 

[Fuzzball84]

He should stop complaining and instead invest more time, money and energy in improving the product than pointing fingers at Apple.

I changed my defaults. But nowadays it’s DuckDuckGo. Using it for years now.

Doesn't DDG source a lot of its results from Bing?

Bing is way way better than it was ten years ago, and for the most part equals what Googles search can provide.

 

[HailstormX]

Edge and Bing are awful...

 

[Supercyborgninja]

When does their current deal end anyways?

 

[genovelle]

You could complain, but honestly the search rests are unparalleled. Bing few years ago showed bad results or results that were somehow promoted by Microsoft. Work on the quality. Apple however could give back to users by providing free iCloud services, knowing they receive billions of dollars for something so simple.

Apple does Provide free services unless you need more data. They also offer email and suite of Apps