Court Allows Google-Apple Search Deal to Continue With Conditions

[drrich2]

It's just a reality of how badly Google has warped the browser landscape.

If it weren't them, would it not be somebody else? There was a time when Internet Explorer was the browser to code for, the one a person might reasonably choose so everywhere they went online web pages would work as intended. You could use alternative browsers, but sometimes things just didn't work.

On the other hand, even with Chrome, we can use alternative browsers. Using a Mac, I went with Safari by default, but Chrome to a lesser extent.

How do you think the browser landscape would look different without Google? Would we be having this conversation about Microsoft and Edge instead of Google and Chrome?

 

[dredlew]

I can’t imagine how or why the deal still exists. Seems really dumb on Googles part. They have the best search engine by a mile. If they stopped paying tomorrow, what’s Apple going to do? They’re not going to update all their customers’ default search engine to something worse.

Remember Apple Maps? That’s exactly what happened when Google cut off Apple from its Maps. Apple was forced to create its own version, obviously inferior at that time. But they have well caught up.

Apple was going to create its own search engine, but Google’s deal prevented that. Apple would have eventually caught up there too if it had to compete. It’s clearly still worth $20B to Google that Apple doesn’t compete and provides it with valuable search data instead.

 

[Abazigal]

Is there a bigger Apple bootlicker than Neil Cybart? Google search is complete garbage now and more and more people are using other sources. It’s laughable to think Google isn’t paying Apple enough.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1963040159471173975

It doesn’t make him wrong though.

Google’s payments to Apple have been increasing each year as Apple’s user base grows and there is no reason to believe that this trend will not continue in the future.

It’s popular to crap on Apple. Only one man has accurately analysed Apple over the decade and just because you don’t like that Apple will get bigger and more successful doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

 

[relaxedpanda]

Serious question. Would anything change if google didn't pay apple but people still chose google as their default search engine?

Late reply, sorry.

Well…yes. The amount of people who click through everything or leave items as default is very high. It’s how Meta and Google have operated for quite some time, which of course has always been to their benefit in being able to capture as much user sensitive data as possible so they can more tailor their offerings (upside profit) as possible.

Will a lot of people when presented with a list of options hypothetically still select Google as it’s such a household name..yes. However, it will also give everyone a choice to maybe take a mine to think of it’s right or not for them.

Privacy should always be the default, Google (especially their search business) does not benefit from user privacy. How else would they be able to make revenue?

 

[drrich2]

Privacy should always be the default, Google (especially their search business) does not benefit from user privacy. How else would they be able to make revenue?

Not so sure about that. Privacy of what info. and under what circumstances? There are things most of us would want to keep private; at the extreme, credit card and social security numbers, passwords, etc... But some browsing history analysis informing targeted adds so I, a guy, don't get hit with ads for feminine hygiene products seems reasonable. And it's not realistic to expect a major services vendor to not make money. They can make it from charging subscription fees, ads or using our data, or some combo. of those factors. Seems like people like 'free' stuff.

 

[Abazigal]

Serious question. Would anything change if google didn't pay apple but people still chose google as their default search engine?

We really don’t know. Google isn’t perfect, but I like to think that these companies are not run by idiots (as far as business management is concerned). Google would not be willing to pay Apple so much money every year (and this sum further increases every year) if they didn’t think it was worth their while.

My take:

1) Defaults matter. Yes, most people would still choose google search, and setting Google search as the preinstalled default further cements that decision, and makes it far less likely that users will contemplate switching away to another option like DDG. As it stands, certain choices like Kagi search aren’t even available, which in turn limits its appeal.

2) I would like to think that when Apple removed google maps from all their iOS devices and replaced it with their own Maps alternative, it traumatised Google management so much that they decided that it was safer to just pay Apple then “F around and find out”. Maybe it’s a thinly-disguised bribe to dissuade Apple from coming with their own search engine. However much it may pale in comparison to Google Search, an Apple Search that comes default with the safari browser on every Apple device should still be able to steal away enough users to make Google feel the pinch.

3) Google can actually afford to pay 20 billion a year. No other company with a search engine can.

This is why a case can actually be made that Apple is in a good position to negotiate for even higher payments from Google, simply because Google makes so much money from iOS users. I don’t see this as a bad thing though. Free money for Apple is always good, and users are not prevented from switching away to another search engine of their choice (like DDG) should they so desire.

 

[I7guy]

Late reply, sorry.

Well…yes. The amount of people who click through everything or leave items as default is very high. It’s how Meta and Google have operated for quite some time, which of course has always been to their benefit in being able to capture as much user sensitive data as possible so they can more tailor their offerings (upside profit) as possible.

Will a lot of people when presented with a list of options hypothetically still select Google as it’s such a household name..yes. However, it will also give everyone a choice to maybe take a mine to think of it’s right or not for them.

Privacy should always be the default, Google (especially their search business) does not benefit from user privacy. How else would they be able to make revenue?

As long as there is a way to change the default, I don’t have a philosophical issue with this. Should privacy or results be the driving factor? As long as the default can be changed you can choose your own path.

 

[laptech]

A number of comments in here justify why the DOJ did what they did and that is people saying there are better search engines out there than google. Therefore, if there are better search engines than Google then why does Apple always chose Google as it's preferred search engine because in a fair market the winner should be the one that can provide the best service/product and not the one who can offer the most money.

Google always out muscled all the other search engines because they used money to do it and the DOJ said that is wrong and that Apple was wrong for always choosing money rather then the choosing the best product.