revenant

gatorguy 

"Google isn't controlling it nor mandating what services are installed in order to use it."

lkrupp said:

Hey, that’s a better deal than the $15 billion Apple will have to cough up eventually. Pay it, Google, and count your blessings. 

lkrupp said:

gatorguy said:

Android users have always had the option of choosing alternate search providers and search engines.  
https://smartphones.gadgethacks.com/how-to/google-chrome-101-change-default-search-engine-your-iphone-android-phone-0184285/

Personally I think the the EU is overstepping on this one but I'm certainly not claiming to understand the finer points of the EU's methodology of determining it to be an antitrust violation. No surprise tho as a fine has been signaled for months now.

With that out of the way I think the horses are already out of the barn so I don't see the EU's action making much if any difference at this point.  Google Search and Chrome are widely preferred by EU users on the desktop where it's always up to the seller to decide what gets pre-installed, not Google forcing it going on. I would think that serves as evidence that the same preferences would exist on mobile even if there were no automatic default.

 Also not sure why Oracle felt they suffered any negative impact from Google services preinstalled either. Microsoft I get. 

Still $5B is a hefty fine, grabbing much or most of Google's Play Store profits for this year if it stands. I still don't get how the EU can claim rights to worldwide revenues for an EU specific violation (and Google being a separate subsidiary of overall Alphabet operations in the first place) but as I said in another thread there's obviously legal support for it. 

What a beautiful Google apology from its chief apologist.