Would love to see Apple invest in their own search or piggy back on Brave as a way to build some competition for Google. Microsoft is the only other possible player but Bing has been dead for many moons. Perhaps Amazon could do something but that would be every bit as bad as Google or Microsoft in terms of privacy.
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Google and Apple's Search Engine Deal Violates Antitrust Law
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No, please no – please no Apple search engine; they can barely do cloud drive sync.
Happens in many fields. Take grocery, "slotting fees" are the common way to get placement, or better placement on store shelves. Not saying it isn't anti-competitive, as those with bigger pockets can relegate competition to the knee high shelves, just saying it is common.
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Of course MacRumors tends to make their articles centered around Apple while the CNN articles focuses mostly that this is Google's problem.there's more than the apple deal ... here's a story that is less apple biased:
Google has an illegal monopoly on search, judge rules. Here’s what’s next | CNN Business
Google has violated US antitrust law with its search business, a federal judge ruled Monday, handing the tech giant a staggering court defeat with the potential to reshape how millions of Americans get information online and to upend decades of dominance.www.cnn.com
Given that Google has 90+% of the search market globally, this ruling seems appropriate
Used to be the first search result I got was always Wikipedia. Now it’s usually Reddit. Is Google’s deal with Reddit exclusive or is Microsoft just refusing to pay Reddit anything?
As i've said many times, two monopolists colluding, very grubby especially given Apple's privacy hand waving.
Android is presenting a search engine choice screen (https://www.android.com/choicescreen/dma/searchengine/), I'm not sure about iOS.
Revenue is not profit. That $20b was pure profit - without R&D and ********s of other back end expenses that eat margin.
Well, then it should be considered a service to mankind saving us from Apple search.
90% of people will set their SE to Google.... 9% won't because they won't know how (unless it's part of the phone set up and they can tap and select the option) and 1% will willfully pick ****** results for whatever reason they have (privacy, Bing rewards points, etc.).
Google search has gotten crappy over the last few years with AD results filling the entire first page.... maybe this will incentivize them to adjust it down a bit.
Google search has gotten crappy over the last few years with AD results filling the entire first page.... maybe this will incentivize them to adjust it down a bit.
Yes, people can change the default search engine at any time just like how Windows users could change the default Internet Explorer web browser at any time, yet the U.S. govt went after Microsoft and won.
The problem is, as studies have shown, more than 95% of people keep the default settings. It's almost as if it requires too much effort for people to do/change things. Companies know this.
It's the same thing with tipping. When you're presented with pre-set default tip percentage options (e.g. 15%, 18%, 20%, 25%) along with an "other" option to set your own tip amount or "no tip," a lot of people choose one of the default percentages because it's just easier.
You can extend this to businesses who opt you into everything because they know a lot of times customers won't bother to opt-out (e.g. sharing customer data with other companies).
Oh trust me Apple is smart, the fine they're gonna pay (if it even comes to that) is gonna be much less than what they've made. I guess they're just gonna have to keep gaslighting harder about how pro privacy they are.
Why does anyone have to pay any amount to Apple? Apple can simply allow users to choose their favorite search engine instead of making Google the default. There's no need for Apple to develop their own search engine, especially since they will become the next anti-trust target by creating a search engine monopoly on the platform with the most users.
Exactly that. One monopolist paying another mega corp with monopolistic tendencies to stay out of their market.
A majority of users will still use Google no matter what options are offered.
That is the exact same violation as United States v. Microsoft in 2001 because of Internet Explorer — Section 2 of the Sherman Act.
This is huge.
United States v. Microsoft Corp. - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
So what Google was found guilty of was:
"Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations [...]"
But at least you don't have a situation that Apple is the bad guy with their ecosystem using an Apple search engine. You can just imagine that scenario and everyone complaining, not fair not fair.
This is the beginning of the end of Google. If they pay $20 billion/year to Apple just to be default, think of how much more revenue they stand to lose now. Couple that with competing AI services and the entire concept of search engines already seems antiquated to many consumers. Google has great tech but they are yesterday's business model.
But what if the remedy from the court is that Google can't pay anyone to be their default search engine?
The Sherman Act doesn't care about intention AFAIK.
But at least you don't have a situation that Apple is the bad guy with their ecosystem using an Apple search engine.
Would actually make much more sense if they did make their own search, might make their privacy schtick a bit more plausible.
Still I suppose the current arrangement works for Apple because they get to report it as services revenue.
I understand how it works. If people are too stupid, lazy or disinterested to bother changing anything, whose fault is that?
Likewise, if people are satisfied with the search results, who is being harmed? I use Duck Duck Go most of the time because it doesn’t track me. But even I have to cry “uncle” once in a while and run a Google search because the results are better.
Frankly, the government’s legal action doesn’t mention tracking of Google search users. That’s because the government, like most Google users, simply doesn’t care about that. Ironically, the government’s action comes as most of its actions do - too late. AI is about to take over internet search And render the question moot.
Prediction: If people are given a default search engine choice while setting up their device, 90+ percent will select Google. Why? Because they recognize the name. The same way they vote. Again… whose fault is that?
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