Unlike Apple, Google allows people to download apps onto phones running its Android operating system without going through its official app store, but the company strikes deals with phone manufacturers to favor Google’s official app store.

So because they strike deals to favor their store, even though they allow 3rd party stores to begin with, they've violated the SAA.

Meanwhile, Apple who refuses to allow competition or 3rd party app stores is sitting pretty because...well, they haven't "favored" their own store over rival stores. BECAUSE RIVAL STORES CANT EXIST. I don't know how you could favor your store any harder than that??

The legal shenanigans around all of this are frustrating to watch as a lay person.

[–] ZephyrXero 11 points 11 months ago

It's because the US doesn't have anti-monopoly laws. We have laws that you can't abuse your monopoly powers. And in this case, it was easier to prove against Google.

But it's still bullshit. Vertical Integration is just a vertical monopoly

[–] slazer2au 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Because the apple argument was different and that's what matters.

Apple designs, builds, and sells iPhones/iPads
Apple wrote the ios which only runs on iPhones/iPads (within technical reasons) and are the owners of the code.

Google however, does not build phones. Apart from the Pixel phones. Samsung designs and builds phones, LG use to design and build phones, but would install Android.
Android while mostly maintained by Google, is not owned by Google also was not originally created by Google and can be run on just about any arm64 device not just things created by Google.

In the lay terms of you purchased a PC from Dell running Ubuntu and could only install applications via the Microsoft Store you would be pretty unhappy.

[–] cybersandwich 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Is that Apples argument though? I read the article but now its locked behind a paywall so I can't re-read.

But your lay terms example isn't exactly what happened according to the article. What Google did would be akin to buying a PC with Ubuntu on it, but where Google has made deals with Canonical to make their app store default. You can still use Canonical's Ubuntu snAPP store, or flatpaks, dpkg -i, etc. But the simple fact that Google paid money to Canonical to make their Google app store the default is what the court is saying is anti-competitive.

The thing is: I dont necessarily disagree with that assessment. I think the court may have gotten this correct. Large companies have been using tactics like this for decades at this point to cement their position/fend off competition. It's the definition of anti-competitive.

My point is that Apple, by completely refusing to allow "side loading"/other app stores on their devices has somehow sidestepped "anti-competitive" regulation here. It's almost like it wasn't 'overt' enough? Maybe because money didn't change hands. Again, I am not a lawyer, but its hard to argue that not allowing other services or apps onto your system is good for competition. Maybe thats the rub? Maybe not being good for competition and being anti-competitive are legally different things? Maybe its because Google to an "overt action" and used their position, money, and influence to make deals to stifle competition, but Apple has it's "safety and security" , "people pay for our walled garden", "our walled ecosystem is the product" arguments.

edit: by the way this seems like it would set a legal precedence that Google will get beat up for again which might screw over A LOT of us. If what Google did here is bad, then Google paying Firefox, Apple, or whoever money to make their web search the default, seems like it'd fall into similar legal territory.

I know Firefox basically only survives because of Google's payments for search supremacy.

[–] ZephyrXero 5 points 11 months ago

https://www.removepaywall.com/https:/www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/12/11/epic-google-trial-verdict