Re:Apple Antitrust Probe – Responses to Congress [pdf]
by mcphage on Wednesday November 20, 2019 @03:46PM
(#21588310)
> I like how Apple answered exactly zero parts of this question :/
I think they did—at least, they answered the letter of the question, not the spirit of the question.
Q: what is the total amount that Apple has accepted from Google for the right to be the default search engine in Safari
A: $0, since Google doesn't pay Apple to be the default search engine. Instead, Safari "generates revenue based on referral traffic through the URL/search box on Apple’s Safari browser". So Apple gets a cut of Google's revenue, not a payment for being the default search engine.
Of course, that leaves open the possibility that Apple's cut of the revenue depends on whether they're the default search engine or not. I would guess it does.
I think they did—at least, they answered the letter of the question, not the spirit of the question.
Q: what is the total amount that Apple has accepted from Google for the right to be the default search engine in Safari
A: $0, since Google doesn't pay Apple to be the default search engine. Instead, Safari "generates revenue based on referral traffic through the URL/search box on Apple’s Safari browser". So Apple gets a cut of Google's revenue, not a payment for being the default search engine.
Of course, that leaves open the possibility that Apple's cut of the revenue depends on whether they're the default search engine or not. I would guess it does.