Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
But Google’s certification and their dominance in the App Store market share forces most OEMs to play along with Google. Imo that’s the point of the EU regulation. If you are the dominant player, then there are things to follow. Look how the EU pressed on Microsoft on Windows and IE.

OEMs in China do not include Google Play simply because Google pulled out from China. All of the Chinese OEMs’ overseas handsets do contain Google Play.
Google does not force OEM's to default to Google Apps. I know. Whenever I've gotten a new phone I've had to spend the first 20-30 minutes setting Google Apps as my defaults and removing or disabling all of the other ancillary apps Samsung loads.
 
Google does not force OEM's to default to Google Apps. I know. Whenever I've gotten a new phone I've had to spend the first 20-30 minutes setting Google Apps as my defaults and removing or disabling all of the other ancillary apps Samsung loads.

Good for you that’s not what anyone else is talking about.



The BBC have reported that the fine comes down to three points against Google:

  • it required Android handset and tablet manufacturers to pre-install the Google Search app and its own web browser Chrome as a condition for allowing them to offer access to its Play app store
  • it made payments to large manufacturers and mobile network operators that agreed to exclusively pre-install the Google Search app on their devices
  • it prevented manufacturers from selling any smart devices powered by alternative "forked" versions of Android by threatening to refuse them permission to pre-install its apps
The report acknowledges that Google allow third party browsers etc. to be installed but they force manufacturers to install and default to google apps by threatening to withhold access to the Play store and other services.
 
  • Like
Reactions: haruhiko
Microsoft got caught for that a long time ago. In 2009, the EU said that Microsoft had to offer a choice. That agreement lasted 5 years. Since 2014, Microsoft is now allowed to make IE the default browser. If another lawsuit comes up, then they might be forced to remove it again.

MS should be safe, since IE is no longer the leading webbrowser.

But Chrome is and Google Search is too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mikey44
Google does not force OEM's to default to Google Apps. I know. Whenever I've gotten a new phone I've had to spend the first 20-30 minutes setting Google Apps as my defaults and removing or disabling all of the other ancillary apps Samsung loads.

No, what you mean is Google does not force Samsung to default to Google Apps. Samsung =/= all Android OEMs. All other OEMs make a tiny profit on their phones, if at all. See quote below:

  • it required Android handset and tablet manufacturers to pre-install the Google Search app and its own web browser Chrome as a condition for allowing them to offer access to its Play app store
  • it made payments to large manufacturers and mobile network operators that agreed to exclusively pre-install the Google Search app on their devices
  • it prevented manufacturers from selling any smart devices powered by alternative "forked" versions of Android by threatening to refuse them permission to pre-install its apps

Yeah that's definitely antitrust.
 
Google does not force OEM's to default to Google Apps. I know. Whenever I've gotten a new phone I've had to spend the first 20-30 minutes setting Google Apps as my defaults and removing or disabling all of the other ancillary apps Samsung loads.
The precedent has been set from the EU vs Microsoft. You can install any browser on Windows, but the EU still slapped Microsoft for antitrust for bundling IE with Windows.

That’s the way the EU works. If Microsoft had to follow their rules, what makes Google so special that they don’t have to?
 
Even as an Apple guy I think this is pretty ridiculous. Google getting in trouble for having default everyday apps as their own services? It’s their OS!

Next thing you know Apple is getting in trouble for having the iTunes Store on their devices as the default.

The same argument could be said for Microsoft back in the '90s when they got penalized severely for essentially the same actions. Remember when Microsoft was forced to put a choice in the initial setup screen as to which browser to use as well as being forced to provide source code to other browser companies to ensure full compatibility with other OS services?

Google didn't learn that lesson ,or more likely worked the numbers and decided any potential fine would be less than the profit earned. Now the same result Microsoft faced is going to be applied to Google. Give consumers a choice of search on the home screen and if your product is indeed better they will pick it. On the other hand, if another competitor comes out with a better solution (like Chrome did in the browser war against Internet Explorer) then consumers are unconstrained in their freedom to see they have another choice as opposed to the preinstalled one.

Regarding Apple, I do think they need to be forced to open their hardware and APIs some. There isn't any real reason why I shouldn't be able to set Cortana or Alexa as my personal assistant on my iPhone and have it on standby all the time like Siri. Apple locks down certain features in a deliberate attempt to force consumers to use their services. Just like Microsoft and Google, Apple needs to be required to be reasonably open in allowing developers access to the OS to stimulate competition. There have been too many examples of apps getting killed when Apple decided to make similar functionality part of iOS and used their "non-compete" clause to shut the developers down.
 
So Apple gets all the profits without any of the liabilities of being a monopoly.

Looks like their integrated business model is still the most lucrative!
This is when not being the largest market share becomes an advantage. Every business model has their pluses and minuses. Google just need to go through what Microsoft went through with Windows.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mikey44
Anything to get that user data, they feed off of it. On a serious note, not really sure how this is any different than Safari by default on iOS, but I am sure they have their reasons for the fines.
[doublepost=1531922350][/doublepost]
No, because iPhone, iPad and Macs are Apple's own products.

I didn't think of it that way, good point.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mikey44
That „Android provides choice“ info graphic really makes me laugh. Having a large number of devices doesn‘t equal choce if underneath the very surface (skin) it‘s all the same crap. If Apple/iOS didn‘t exist, right now there would be no meaningful choice in the mobile sphere at all.
 
I wonder if the EU will look into the arrangement between Google and Apple where Google pays Apple billions each year to make Google the default search engine on Safari on iOS. This seems noteworthy considering the two companies combined are a dominant duopoly in the smartphone industry.
The difference is Google makes the Operating System that’s supposed to be open sourced and forces their other products to be preloaded on devices created by other companies. Notice Google devices are not a part of this problem. This all happened before with Windows. The key is forcing other companies to install you products on their devices to remain in your good graces. If I want to build a device using the dominant OS, I should not be forced to install other products that compete with products I may offer or have a Strategic alliance with. The customer being able to delete is not the issue. It’s the forced bundling
 
  • Like
Reactions: DNichter
Google CEO Sundar Pichai commented on the decision in his own blog post today, pointing out that Android phones come preloaded "with as many as 40 apps from multiple developers," not just Google. Users can delete them if they want and install their own choices after they purchase the smartphone.

LOL. Android users put up with that? if Apple starts pre-loading the iPhone with 3rd party applications, I'm going back to a basic phone.

I don't need a smart phone. The way this is going, I probably won't have a phone at all in 10 years. Eventually it's just going to be a privacy ****-show. I hope apple continues to stand up against this kind of stuff. Android is the new windows and for some people, that's okay.
 
Even as an Apple guy I think this is pretty ridiculous. Google getting in trouble for having default everyday apps as their own services? It’s their OS!

Next thing you know Apple is getting in trouble for having the iTunes Store on their devices as the default.

I think you didn’t read it correctly. This is nI what this is about at all.
 
Makes you wonder if they will target Apple and iOS for forcing Safari, Apple Maps, Apple Music, etc. on end users...

But Apple makes proprietary software and can set the rules on what software runs on your phone.

This legislation is honestly kind of dumb, considering that it seems to be leading to an outcome that is worse for the end users who want good software integration.
 
Regarding Apple, I do think they need to be forced to open their hardware and APIs some. There isn't any real reason why I shouldn't be able to set Cortana or Alexa as my personal assistant on my iPhone and have it on standby all the time like Siri. Apple locks down certain features in a deliberate attempt to force consumers to use their services. Just like Microsoft and Google, Apple needs to be required to be reasonably open in allowing developers access to the OS to stimulate competition. There have been too many examples of apps getting killed when Apple decided to make similar functionality part of iOS and used their "non-compete" clause to shut the developers down.

The real reason is that since apple makes the software and hardware, they can't be told what to do with it. Thats the equivalent of telling McDonalds there's no real reason not to sell Burger King whoppers in store.
 
It’s not there phones but they don’t charge for the software. In addition on Android you can change the default apps very easily.
The problem isn't about what is charged, it's that they paid to have them there. Consider the large and aging population demographic that would most likely use the first app option presented to them.
 
If it's okay, I'm responding to you both together. You seem to be the only two capable of not "fan boying" a topic. :) Since you two are adults (or at a minimum very mature kids:D) can we agree to not mix customer perspective and OEM perspective as if they are the same?
No, what you mean is Google does not force Samsung to default to Google Apps. Samsung =/= all Android OEMs. All other OEMs make a tiny profit on their phones, if at all. See quote below:
Yeah that's definitely antitrust.
Points 2 & 3 from Pete's post have some validity imo. Point 1, not so much. If Google says use my app store (the biggest) to attract customers. In return for using my app store, you gotta load my apps onto your devices. Or you can use Android on your own and develop your own app environment like Amazon.
You are right. Samsung =/= all Android OEMS. But Samsung does represent the majority of the Android handsets in the EU. So the majority of the phones in the EU don't fall under the 3 things Pete mentioned.

The precedent has been set from the EU vs Microsoft. You can install any browser on Windows, but the EU still slapped Microsoft for antitrust for bundling IE with Windows.

That’s the way the EU works. If Microsoft had to follow their rules, what makes Google so special that they don’t have to?
If I recall correctly (I may not) MS was punitive against OEM's for failing to bend the knee. I don't think Google was being punitive. I think they basically said, "Hey take Android and run with it. Build out your ecosystem and app store as grandly as you'd like. Have a ball... or you can let us help you. But if we help you, we get some default app loads on your devices.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.