Apple Subpoenaed for Details on iOS Search Deal in Google Antitrust Investigation

[MacRumors]

Bloomberg reports that antitrust investigators with the Federal Trade Commission have issued a subpoena to Apple requesting information on the company's deal to make Google the default search engine on iOS. Google has been reported to have paid Apple $1 billion last year in the iOS search deal, and the subpoena is part of an ongoing antitrust investigation of Google over its actions to lock up search engine traffic.

The agency's request for documents includes the agreements that made Google the preferred search engine on Apple's mobile devices, said the people, who weren't authorized to speak publicly and declined to be identified. Google rivals such as Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) have criticized these agreements as anticompetitive.

The subpoena indicates the FTC is intensifying its scrutiny of Google's business practices. Details of the Apple-Google relationship may show whether Google is abusing its dominance of Internet search to boost revenue in the mobile phone advertising market, said Allen Grunes, an antitrust lawyer at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP in Washington.

The investigation is also looking more broadly at how Google's advertising rates and search results may be being manipulated to give Google an unfair advantage in the marketplace.

With Android and iOS now together holding the vast majority of smartphone market share, Google's search engine possesses a dominating position in the rapidly-growing mobile search space. With mobile search expected to pass desktop search within the next few years, Google's dominance and its tie-ins to its own advertising services are garnering significant attention from regulators.

Article Link: Apple Subpoenaed for Details on iOS Search Deal in Google Antitrust Investigation

 

[jbrown]

Endless legal matters are getting boring

 

[camnchar]

Yeah, how about a legal.macrumors.com subdomain or at least a separate blog for the legal stuff?

 

[SandynJosh]

The subpoena indicates the FTC is intensifying its scrutiny of Google’s business practices.

It couldn't happen to a nicer company.

 

[Bear]

Yeah, how about a legal.macrumors.com subdomain or at least a separate blog for the legal stuff?

I'm beginning to agree that a Legal blog is also needed. I would expect that we would still see critical legal stuff on the front page much like some iOS stuff hits the front page.

 

[LaWally]

Legal matters appearing on the Front Page are okay with me, but only if they are about a decision or resolution to same.

 

[Peace]

Legal matters appearing on the Front Page are okay with me, but only if they are about a decision or resolution to same.

Decisions and resolutions are few and far between.

 

[SockRolid]

I just wish it were possible to specify other, less spammy, search engines. Like DuckDuckGo.
It's a pain to have to go to the web site (instead of typing into a search field built into Safari).
And yes, there's a free iOS app, but it should still be possible to specify any search engine as your default.

 

[Mad-B-One]

Just wait a sec...

...I have to google the background to that story real quick!

I have an alternative explanation for their dominance: Ease of use! Ever looked at the competition? Their start page is cluttered most of the time and you have it harder to destinguish between search results and advertisement. Regardless how much you like or hate Google, you got to admit, it is easy to see what is an add and where do the results show. The manipulation of results is another problem. There might be some undue manipulation going on. Dominance though - that is totally a result of the inability of the competition to keep it simple and to the point.

Just a little disclaimer: I did not just compare all search engines, but I've been around for a while and seen how Lycos, Ask.com, Yahoo, MSN, etc try to cause me eye cancer with a color bombardement as soon as I try to look something up.

 

[wikus]

I don't see why Apple should be fined for setting Google's search engine as their default. As long as the choice (uh-oh! theres that word again in apple-land) is there to switch to a different one, does it matter?

 

[Consultant]

I just wish it were possible to specify other, less spammy, search engines. Like DuckDuckGo.
It's a pain to have to go to the web site (instead of typing into a search field built into Safari).
And yes, there's a free iOS app, but it should still be possible to specify any search engine as your default.

1. you can choose Bing, which works well
2. you can write to apple.com/feedback about it

I don't see why Apple should be fined for setting Google's search engine as their default. As long as the choice (uh-oh! theres that word again in apple-land) is there to switch to a different one, does it matter?

I believe the question is how much Google paid. And did other companies offered to pay more.

 

[coolfactor]

While Google may be paying for the privilege, the decision is in line with Apple's standards - go with the best. Google remains one of the top-performing search engines.

Just like my preference to use Safari over other browsers (although I use Chrome and Firefox daily, too), Google remains my search engine of choice simply because it works as I expect it to. It's interesting, I don't "trust" the results presented by other search engines nearly as much. A feeling that something's been missed or incorrectly ranked. I should probably force myself to use another engine for a while and see if I can break my reliance on Google.

 

[nagromme]

I just wish it were possible to specify other, less spammy, search engines. Like DuckDuckGo.
It's a pain to have to go to the web site (instead of typing into a search field built into Safari).
And yes, there's a free iOS app, but it should still be possible to specify any search engine as your default.

Yep. On desktop and iOS alike, I’d wish to be able to add any search engine I want (even special-purpose like IMDB and Wikipedia, right in the browser itself) to the available list.

AND then I’d like iOS to have ability to choose on the fly (like you can on desktop Safari) without having to go to Settings. I know the UI would get crowded, so maybe leave this as a power-user shortcut: tap-hold on the magnifying glass icon, say. Or add a button for this within the as-you-type results.

 

[dBeats]

Google is easy to use, but it's not the best search engine anymore. The algorithm worked for many years when the internet was "young." Someone needs to step up and come up with a new method. Now when I type in Rick Santorum, well you get the idea. It's flawed, it's vanilla, homogenous, easily tricked, and focused on 24 year old geeks results. Just like their demographic for Google+.

 

[bbeagle]

I don't see why Apple should be fined for setting Google's search engine as their default. As long as the choice (uh-oh! theres that word again in apple-land) is there to switch to a different one, does it matter?

This is not the issue. The issue is whether Google gave kick-backs to Apple for using their search engine as the default.

Google is the one that would be in trouble, not Apple.

Remember back in the 90's when Microsoft got in legal trouble for using Internet Explorer as the default browser for Windows? Sort of the same issue here - just that Microsoft made both Windows AND Internet Explorer.

 

[coolfactor]

I don't see why Apple should be fined for setting Google's search engine as their default. As long as the choice (uh-oh! theres that word again in apple-land) is there to switch to a different one, does it matter?

This isn't about Apple being fined. This is about investigating the financial arrangement between Apple and Google on the matter. Google _payed_ for the privilege to be the default search engine, in one way or another, putting other engines at a disadvantage. That's anti-competitive behavior when abused.

 

[dba7dba]

Yeah, how about a legal.macrumors.com subdomain or at least a separate blog for the legal stuff?

I vote for this. And how about a filtering option to hide anything related to legal stuff?

 

[xinu]

Google is the best search and e-mail service out there.

I use because it is the best of the best. Not because it is default in browsers.

First there was Digital Alta Vista, Then google took over. Thats it.

 

[coolfactor]

Google is easy to use, but it's not the best search engine anymore. The algorithm worked for many years when the internet was "young." Someone needs to step up and come up with a new method. Now when I type in Rick Santorum, well you get the idea. It's flawed, it's vanilla, homogenous, easily tricked, and focused on 24 year old geeks results. Just like their demographic for Google+.

I'm not following. How could the results (for "Rick Santorum") be improved? Can you elaborate? While I think Google's array of "services" needs to be scrutinized, I am fairly confident in their search algorithms, but I'm open to being educated.

 

[LaWally]

Decisions and resolutions are few and far between.

Exactly my point.

 

[wikus]

This isn't about Apple being fined. This is about investigating the financial arrangement between Apple and Google on the matter. Google _payed_ for the privilege to be the default search engine, in one way or another, putting other engines at a disadvantage. That's anti-competitive behavior when abused.

Sounds like a bidding war by Apple to be on their list for search engines. I think Apple should be paying Google to use their services, not the other way around, lol. Its weird.

But the problem becomes that if google wasnt set to default, on setup the device would have to ask the user which one is set to default.

But why stop at the search engine? Microsoft got in crap for having Internet Explorer for being the default browser, so in that regard, shouldnt there be a similar issue with Safari for those of us who dont want it? I never use it in OS X and would rather see it gone, but I dont think Apple or Microsoft should be forced to not offer their own product alongside another of their own products as default.

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

Doh, not sure how I ended up posting this in wrong thread. Move along, nothing to see here.

 

[xinu]

If an "iPad Mini" ever launches, it will mean the death of the iPod Touch.

And that is just fine with the world.

 

[Mad-B-One]

I don't see why Apple should be fined for setting Google's search engine as their default. As long as the choice (uh-oh! theres that word again in apple-land) is there to switch to a different one, does it matter?

Well, actually, on iDevices you have the choice between 3: Google, Yahoo! and Bing. That's it. Well, of course, you could install the Atomic browser (which you can mask to be something different like a IE or Firefox if you like) and you can search at Amazon, Ebay, Wikipedia, and Youtube as well. Still, no real alternative to the 3 propriatary search engines above.

 

[Consultant]

This is not the issue. The issue is whether Google gave kick-backs to Apple for using their search engine as the default.

Google is the one that would be in trouble, not Apple.

Remember back in the 90's when Microsoft got in legal trouble for using Internet Explorer as the default browser for Windows? Sort of the same issue here - just that Microsoft made both Windows AND Internet Explorer.

It is well known that Google DOES pay to be the default browser search engine.