Apples Eddy Cue defends default search contract with Google as best option for consumers
Summary
Eddy Cue, Apples senior vice president of services, testified on Tuesday that the company chose to make Google the default search engine on iPhones because it made the most sense for consumers and "there wasn’t a valid alternative." Bellshaw directed Cue to reference a "Rosetta Stone" that matched letters to corresponding revenue sharing percentages, so that the exact numbers would not be revealed in open court. In the email to Cook, Cue said he needed to meet with Pichai "alone next week and agree to the economic terms or we shouldnt move forward," referring to the revenue sharing number." One alternative that Google competitors have floated to its default status on devices is to give consumers a chance to review their search engine options in a way that presents them equally. A slide labeled "Privacy Timeline" included a headline about Googles $22.5 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission in 2012 over claims it misled users about its tracking on Apples Safari browser.