[madeofpalk]

> notice that Google has to pay Apple billions annually for access to their platforms)

uhhhh, doesn't Google pay Apple billions to be the default search engine on iOS? That's not "forced to pay for access", but "choses to make a business deal that costs them billions to make them billions more"

[mjburgess]

Well, consider that if Apple were an open platform, this default would be set by most "for free".

"Forced" here doesn't mean coerced, more in the sense of "forced error"; ie., as a move within a game than an opponent forces you to make.

[dan1234]

Google pay Mozilla too[0], and they're about as open as you can get.

[0]https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/15/21370020/mozilla-google-f...

[mjburgess]

See my comment below. I meant a more general sense of open, maybe "unbiased" or "biased towards their users preferences". ie., where any decision about the platform (including defaults) is left to the users, or defaulted to their clear general preference.

The "issue" is that they are charging for something the users would set themselves, and otherwise, already want.

Google is being "forced" into paying for this only because apple is willing to act against its users preferences, and eg., set a Bing default.

[waon]

> Well, consider that if Apple were an open platform, this default would be set by most "for free".

> If the platform invited the user to set a default, or was "biased towards their user's preferences", as most would select google, google would be the "natural default".

You almost make it sound like defaulting to Google without making people aware of the alternatives is “open” and unbiased.”

[dan1234]

iOS/macOS users can set their own default search engine. Google just know that most people won't change what's set by default.

[hajile]

Paying for access is different than paying for promotion. Mozilla is paid to promote Google as default search engine.

[madeofpalk]

What?

I get that iOS is closed down, but I'm a bit confused how being "open" would resolve the fact that a default search engine for Safari is set? You can still change your search engine on iOS (to one of few the browser ships with, Google, Yahoo, Bing and Duck Duck Go in UK)

Firefox is completely open/open source (isnt it?), yet Google pays Firefox for being the default search engine.

Open vs Closed has nothing to do with this. Google wants to be the default in browsers, and it choses to pay for the luxury.

[mjburgess]

I mean open in a more general sense, not of its source code.

If the platform invited the user to set a default, or was "biased towards their user's preferences", as most would select google, google would be the "natural default".

There is a sort of mild rent-seeking / racketeering in asking google to pay to configure a service Apple provides, to a default Apple's users would chose for themselves.

[wil421]

How does Apple being a closed platform prevent me from choosing my search engine on iOS?

[yoz-y]

Try setting the Safari search engine to Exalead for example.

[Siira]

It's called rent seeking.