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Google’s antitrust trial is ongoing as we speak, it has been that way since September 12. It’s semi-private, as some days it’s inaccessible to the public, due to various private documents being discussed. In a new twist, the antitrust trial revealed some details from deals Google made with Samsung and Apple, to keep its top search engine spot.
Antitrust trial shares some details from deals Google made with Samsung & Apple
That’s actually part of why Google is on trial, for its utter dominance. The DoJ is trying to prove that Google violated anti-monopoly law. The company made a number of deals with smartphone OEMs, carriers, and so on.
Well, some details just came to light. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Google used various tactics. Apple was mentioned first. Google has been the default search engine on Apple products for around 20 years.
Having said that, back in 2007, Apple approached Google to change its OS, so that it can offer users a choice between different search providers. Based on what was said, Google responded by saying that it would stop giving Apple a share of revenue in that case, in the case Google Search was no longer the default option. That’s when Apple gave up, basically. Once again, this was in 2007.
Apple’s contract with Google is “substantially the same” today
What’s also interesting is that Apple’s contract with Google is “substantially the same” today. That is based on the testimony by Apple’s Eddy Cue. We already shared some tidbits from his testimony, in case you’re interested, such as the fact that Apple chose Google because it’s “the best”.
In any case, some more Apple-related info was revealed. The WSJ reports that back in 2013, Apple introduced a feature called ‘Suggestions’. That feature could offer alternative links for certain searches in Apple’s Safari browser
Google didn’t take that well, and notified Apple that it needs to change that, as it has a contract with the company that prevents such actions.
On the flip side, Samsung, it seems like Google was bothered by the company’s decision to make it easier to allow users to switch the default search engine in its browser. Google notified Samsung that it had violated the agreement it had with the company, so Samsung flipped things around.