Google Antitrust Case Suggests Apple Should Be in the Department of Justice’s Crosshairs Too – By By Hemant K. Bhargava (Nextgov) / Nov 1 2020
Apple’s role as the gateway to billions of searches is the critical factor here.
Google’s payments to Apple to promote its search engine in iPhones, iPads and Mac computers are at the center of the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against the tech giant.
The suit alleges this creates a “continuous and self-reinforcing cycle of monopolization” by limiting which search engines consumers can use.
But as someone who studies platform markets, competition and industry structure, I believe the agreement seems more like a damning indictment of Apple’s own potentially illegal business practices.
Why Google Needs Apple
The Department of Justice alleges that Google pays Apple and other device-makers to set its search engine as the default “on billions of mobile devices and computers worldwide,” thus controlling how users access the internet.
Continue to article: https://www.nextgov.com/ideas/2020/11/google-antitrust-case-suggests-apple-should-be-department-justices-crosshairs-too/169664/
