Google may have lost the antitrust case that deemed it a monopolist, but the search engine giant continues to dominate the market with Google Search. According to Impression Digital, Google’s share of the global search market is 83% compared to Microsoft Bing’s 9.19%.
The aforementioned antitrust ruling, however, outlined in a 286-page document written by US District Judge Amit Mehta, seems to convey that Apple shares the same sentiment as the average user: Google Search is the preferred tool for information discovery.
In addition to Mehta’s important conclusion that Google is a monopolist due to its massive scale, high capital costs, control of key distribution channels, and more, we got some insight into why Apple denied Microsoft’s request to Installed Bing as the default Generative Search Experience (GSE) in Safari.
5 Reasons Apple Denied Bing for Safari
The partnership between Apple and Google to use Google Search as Safari’s default search engine dates back to 2002. However, at the time, the agreement was non-exclusive. In other words, Apple can feature other search engines without violating its contract with Google. In 2007, Google signed an agreement to strengthen the default exclusivity in Safari.
As of this writing, Safari still uses Google. Google pays Apple a LOT money to maintain its presence on Safari. (According to BloombergGoogle paid Apple $20 billion in 2022.)
Interestingly, and some would say humorously, Microsoft wouldn’t be able to do the same with Bing. The Redmond-based tech giant made multiple attempts to make Bing the default for Safari, but according to the antitrust ruling, Apple Services VP Eddy Cue said there was no price Microsoft could do. EVER offer Apple to preload Bing inside Safari.
Here are five reasons why Apple ditched Bing for Safari:
The Speed of Light Mashable
1. Bing’s ‘inferior’ search quality
Cue said Bing is “inferior” compared to Google Search. In 2021, Apple conducted a study that measured the importance of search results on Google and Bing. While Bing outperformed Google Search when it comes to desktop user interface, Apple’s investigation found that Google had the edge over Bing in all other benchmarks.
2. Bing’s ‘terrible’ ad monetization
Although Microsoft proposed sharing 100% of Bing’s revenue with Apple to secure the default position in Safari, Cue was still concerned that Bing would not be able to generate enough revenue because it was “terrible” at making a profit. of advertising money.
3. The deal with Google is very good
In order to enter into a partnership with Microsoft, Apple would have to give up its agreement with Google. In an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Cue said Apple would “jeopardize its revenue” if it stopped partnering with Google.
Interestingly, Google analyzed how much Microsoft would have to offer Apple to “beat” Google’s current offerings. As it turns out, the Redmond-based tech giant would have to pay Apple “122% of Bing’s revenue share” just to match Google’s 33.7% revenue share.
4. Google has better brand recognition
The antitrust ruling claims that Google has excellent brand recognition, giving Apple an incentive to keep Google as Safari’s default GSE.
“It’s a great product for our customers, and we wanted our customers to know that they’re getting the Google search engine,” Cue said. It’s a symbiotic relationship, according to Cue, because Google benefits from Apple telling the world that “Google is the best search engine.” After all, Apple is undoubtedly one of the most trusted brands, and as a result, users expect Apple to partner with a company that also offers great service.
That said, the partnership with Microsoft Bing, which has a low market share, may not be well received by Apple users.
5. Google knows its stuff
Cue claimed that Google knows how to advertise and can make money very well. Apple’s SVP of Services claimed that the Cupertino-based tech giant would only exit a partnership with Google if Apple viewed it as an entity it no longer wanted to do business with. “She [was a] no brainer to stick with Google as it’s as close to a sure thing as it gets,” Cue said.