Google may have lost an antitrust lawsuit that deemed it a monopoly, but the search engine giant continues to dominate the market with Google Search. According to Impression Digital, Google has 83% of the global search market share, well ahead of Microsoft Bing’s 9.19%.
But the aforementioned antitrust ruling, outlined in a 286-page document written by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, seems to signal that Apple shares the same view as the average user: that Google search is the preferred tool for information discovery.
In addition to Mehta’s groundbreaking conclusion that Google is a monopoly due to its massive size, high capital costs, and control of key distribution channels, it also offers some insight into why Apple rejected Microsoft’s proposal to install Bing as the default generative search experience (GSE) in Safari.
5 reasons why Apple rejected Bing from Safari
Apple and Google’s partnership to use Google Search as the default search engine for Safari dates back to 2002. However, the agreement at the time was non-exclusive, meaning that Apple could adopt other search engines without violating its contract with Google. In 2007, Google signed a deal that solidified its exclusivity as the default for Safari.
As of this writing, Safari is still powered by Google, which has since sold to Apple. Many They are investing a lot of money to maintain their presence in Safari. BloombergGoogle paid $20 billion for Apple in 2022.
Interestingly, and some might say hilariously, Microsoft can’t do the same with Bing. The Redmond-based tech giant has tried multiple times to make Bing the default in Safari, but according to an antitrust ruling, Apple’s senior vice president of services, Eddy Cue, said there was no price at which Microsoft could make Bing the default. Until now Suggesting Apple to preload Bing within Safari.
Here are five reasons why Apple rejected Bing in Safari.
Mashable Lightspeed
1. Bing’s “Poor” Search Quality
Cue said Bing is “inferior” to Google Search. In 2021, Apple conducted a study to measure the relevance of Google and Bing search results. While Bing beat Google Search when it came to desktop user interface, Apple’s study found that Google beat Bing in all other benchmarks.
2. Bing’s “terrible” ad monetization
Microsoft offered to split 100% of Bing’s revenue with Apple to ensure Safari’s default position, but Cue remained concerned that Bing wouldn’t make enough money because its ad monetization was “terrible.”
3. The Google deal is too good to be true
To partner with Microsoft, Apple would have to abandon its deal with Google. In an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Cue said Apple’s revenues would be “at risk” if it ended its partnership with Google.
Interestingly, Google has analysed how much Microsoft would have to offer Apple to “top” Google’s current offering. In the end, the Redmond-based tech giant would have to pay Apple “122% of Bing’s revenue share” to match Google’s 33.7% revenue share.
4. Google has strong brand recognition
The antitrust ruling argues that because Google has superior brand recognition, Apple has an incentive to keep Google as the default GSE for Safari.
“This is a great product for our customers, and we wanted them to know they could use Google’s search engine,” Cue said. It’s a symbiotic relationship, Cue said, because Google benefits when Apple tells the world that Google is the best search engine. After all, Apple is one of the most trusted brands, and by extension, users expect Apple to partner with companies that provide great service.
That being said, a partnership with Microsoft Bing, which has a smaller market share, may not be well received by Apple users.
5. Google knows a lot
Cue argued that Google knows how to advertise and can monetize it very well. Apple’s senior vice president of services argued that the company would only end its partnership with Google if Apple didn’t want to do business with them anymore. “It was a no-brainer because our partnership with Google is so certain,” Cue said.
