In its case to appeal a $5 billion fine from the European Union for abusing its market power, Google made its claim. The EU accused Google of capitalizing on the success of Android smartphones by making Google the default search engine on the devices. Google, however, begs to differ, claiming that their search engine is simply the most popular.
“We have submitted evidence showing that the most common search query on Bing is, by far, ‘Google’, said lawyer Alfonso Lamadrid to the EU General Court. “Google’s market share in general search is consistent with consumer surveys showing that 95% of users prefer Google to rival search engines,” he added.
Google argues that users simply choose its services over others, and they have made this their key point in their appeal to the record 2018 fine. They also argue that Android has “created more choice for everyone, not less.”
Margrethe Vestager, then the EU’s Competition Commissioner, said Google had made Android manufacturers pre-install its search app and Chrome web browser – and the device’s only pre-installed app. This resulted in people seeking alternative search engines for their mobile devices 1% of the time.
Nowadays, users seek ease-of-use and security when using search engines, and Google Chrome provides both. Additionally, the search engine enables its users to connect their Google accounts, synergizing Gmail, Docs, Drive and other programs all within one application. Other applications like Bing should take a page out of the Google book.