Google Tablets / Google Search

Great Debates
1

I noticed today that Google is using their search page to advertise their new tablet.

The basis for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer hearings was that they were using their monopoly in one realm to squeeze out competition in a second. While I’ll grant that the iPad is a strong contender and this sort of monopoly abuse by Google might be the only chance that Google has to displace them, Netscape had nearly 100% market penetration when IE started to come, built into the OS.

Thoughts?

2

I’m not a big fan of Google on a lot of fronts, but I think it’s the opposite situation. Rather than limit their search engine to their tablet, or extend its capabilities only on their tablet, they’re using the search engine to advertise the tablet.

Microsoft on the other hand, was needlessly welding their browser into their operating system. Making what was before a removable, replaceable application into a core component of the operating system. I’m still not entirely certain whether they thought that was a good idea for some technical reason, or it was done intentionally to stifle competition, but it’s a very different act.

3
  1. United States vs. Microsoft is not analogous to Google advertising a tablet on a search page. For starters, Microsoft was accused (and found guilty) of using undocumented APIs for its own benefit, intentionally breaking published APIs to hinder competitors, and applying pressure on partners through licensing charges. Second, there is a fundamental difference between tying an application to an operating system, and advertising a product on a web page.

The situations are not similar enough to merit comparison in any meaningful way.

  1. You have to show that Google has a monopoly, and that it is abusing it, before you can jump straight to asserting that they are engaging in “monopoly abuse”.

You will want to take care when making this argument, because every single copy of Windows defaults with Microsoft’s internet browser and Microsoft’s internet search which leads directly to Microsoft’s advertisements.

At worst, then, Google may be doing the same thing (on Android devices) that Microsoft - a convicted monopolist, mind you - has been doing without legal repercussion for years. This is, I should stress, unrelated to advertising on a web site.

  1. Google search is – after all – Google’s own little web site. Are you going to assert that the owner of a web site can’t advertise how they please? I assure you that Yahoo advertises other Yahoo offerings, Bing advertises other Microsoft offerings, and so forth.

What is Google doing here that is out of the ordinary or questionable?