The Case to Break Up Google Hinges on Four Taps and a Swipe
With billions of dollars at stake, arguments at the antitrust trial center on app design.
While the government’s lawsuit is broadly about the legality of bundling services together to the detriment of consumer choice, the case is symbolized by a small arrangement of pixels on a screen.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThe core of the US government’s argument that Google is an illegal monopoly is a process that involves, on an iPhone, exactly four taps and a swipe. That’s what it takes to switch search engines. To explain it step by step, prosecutors called to the witness stand on Sept. 26 one of Apple Inc.’s most powerful executives, Eddy Cue.
Presented with screenshots of an iPhone displayed on a flat screen, Cue sounded like a technician at the Genius Bar. “The Settings app, by default when you buy a new phone, is on the main screen,” he said. “When you tap on that Settings, you get a list.” He went on: “You tap on Safari, and then you have ‘search engine’ listed there. It would show you what the current search engine is that you’re using as the default. And then if you tap it, you get a list of choices, and you can pick any of them.”