Google to Face Federal Antitrust Probe

[Maxor127]

[citation][nom]digiex[/nom]Google will be like M$, crippled to the balls, then Apple and Facebook will rule the world... beware![/citation]
If you call 90% market share crippled. Apple's success comes from sectors that Microsoft either overlooked or failed to capitalize on. Microsoft should've kept their Apple shares.

 

[Guest]

Google doesn't force anyone to use their products. Try to buy a laptop without Windows, you'll be told that you can't because you're most likely going to pirate Windows to put on there. They won't believe that line about your intent to put some alleged OS called "Linux" on there.

So, not only is there an M$ monopoly, but the OEMs and government tolerate and even enforce it. Google just makes good products at a good price....

 

[reggieray]

I'm amazed because Google is in bed with the Marxist Obama regime. Google must have done something to piss the Kenyan off.

 

[aaron88_7]

[citation][nom]Kileak[/nom]And why exactly does Google have to be "neutral" and not promote it's own services? It is a company right?[/citation]

Because we have laws regarding monopolies. Competing fairly is one thing, dominating the market and using your presence to squash any competition is illegal.

But lets be realistic here, we live in the U$A. Who really expects anything to happen other than some tough talk by a few lawyers?

 

[Camikazi]

[citation][nom]aaron88_7[/nom]Because we have laws regarding monopolies. Competing fairly is one thing, dominating the market and using your presence to squash any competition is illegal.But lets be realistic here, we live in the U$A. Who really expects anything to happen other than some tough talk by a few lawyers?[/citation]
The sites do show up, Google just gives a preference to their own internal services, it's not like they are blocking others. Then again it was the same for MS and IE and they lost as well, so it doesn't matter really.

 

[Camikazi]

[citation][nom]molo9000[/nom]The difference is that Walmart actually has real competition and therefore can't abuse it's market dominating position.Walmart's net profit margin is around 5%. Google's is around 30%.[/citation]
See Google has competition and has always had competition, it's just that the competition SUCKS, that is why people go to Google cause the others cannot do things as well as them. That is one way of knowing your competition sucks, when you are the one everyone comes too there is usually a reason for it, Yahoo was first but they slacked and Google did it better so Yahoo lost, is that not how competition works? If a company wants to stop Google all they have to do is create a better product people will go to it if it is better.

 

[alidan]

[citation][nom]cheepstuff[/nom]I can't acquire a monopoly lawfully?Please proofread a little more thoroughly. I find simple mistakes in articles on this site way too often.[/citation]
they mean buy one, im assuming.
[citation][nom]Camikazi[/nom]See Google has competition and has always had competition, it's just that the competition SUCKS, that is why people go to Google cause the others cannot do things as well as them. That is one way of knowing your competition sucks, when you are the one everyone comes too there is usually a reason for it, Yahoo was first but they slacked and Google did it better so Yahoo lost, is that not how competition works? If a company wants to stop Google all they have to do is create a better product people will go to it if it is better.[/citation]
yahoo "died" because of the clutter and who wants to use it, google wasn't always better. altavista was also better, but hard to remember name for most people, google is so easy to spell its funny. but that was years ago. google has between 25-30% of the internet in its search engine, more than enough for most, and anything worth going to is in google.

 

[itchyisvegeta]

I just now google'd "search engines", to find all the alternatives that are out there. I got dogpile, bing, thesearchenginelist, webcrawler, altavista, yahoo, ask, lycos, metacrawler, ixquick, and the list goes on. So what the hell is this crap?

If there was a reason for an anti trust probe, wouldn't google's competition not pop up on their own search engine?

 

[Flameout]

[citation][nom]bidness_man[/nom]Google doesn't force anyone to use their products. Try to buy a laptop without Windows, you'll be told that you can't because you're most likely going to pirate Windows to put on there. They won't believe that line about your intent to put some alleged OS called "Linux" on there.So, not only is there an M$ monopoly, but the OEMs and government tolerate and even enforce it. Google just makes good products at a good price....[/citation]
amen brother. i don't understand the big deal of a FREE product that owns only 30% of the market compared to a PAID product that has 90% of the market *looks at windows*

 

[gmarsack]

Google, FTW!

 

[jimmysmitty]

I called this a while back. After this the EU will investigate them as well.

I like Android and still use Google but Google is getting too big for its own good just like Intel and Microsoft did.

 

[stalker7d7]

Don't get mad at the company just because they want to promote themselves. I don't understand what could be so wrong about that? If anything, blame the patent system that stops other companies from using similar techniques to Google without getting sued for copyright infringement... Or blame the other companies for being so pathetic compared to Google.

Here's some food for thought. What if Google just up and quit, and took down their website and all their services? They have the right to do so...

Walk into a McDonalds restaurant and ask where you can get a burger. If they tell you "McDonalds" or "right here", does that make it okay to sue them for not stating any other burger places... Same thing with google, search with google, be prepared for google services being first in line. I expect the same from bing or any other search provider.

Small experiment. Search the term "search engine" on bing and google. On bing, google wasn't on the first page(but bing was). On google, bing came up before google on the list. Interesting. I'd expect if google was prioritizing it's own products and services that google would be on tope... However, with bing, google, the most popular search engine by far, wasn't even on the first page?

 

[eddieroolz]

I'm a very happy guy today.

I'm also quite cynical after reading some of the comments.

Google is using its near-monopoly on search to steer people towards its own services. Services that are free but generate user base and cash for Google.

If this doesn't ring the Microsoft in the 90's bell for you, then you shouldn't consider yourself an enthusiast.

Microsoft bundled Internet Explorer and other software to get people to use it. It was free, but it gave them a user base and perhaps generated some money for Microsoft too. The US court found them guilty.

I am a sucker for Microsoft but what has to be said has to be said. Google is just like how Microsoft was in the 90's by using its near-monopoly position to make more money for itself.

I'm just disappointed at the double standards people have against companies. Anything Microsoft and anticompetitive, people start yacking about how Microsoft is such a horrible company. When Google does the same thing, no one complains but instead, people even defend them. It makes me sick.

 

[bin1127]

And the iphone only accepts transactions through itunes and apple app store so where is Apple's antitrust lawsuit?

 

[jamesedgeuk2000]

This must be a hoax, Google doesn't have any rivals...

 

[mkrijt]

[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]they mean buy one, im assuming. yahoo "died" because of the clutter and who wants to use it, google wasn't always better. altavista was also better, but hard to remember name for most people, google is so easy to spell its funny. but that was years ago. google has between 25-30% of the internet in its search engine, more than enough for most, and anything worth going to is in google.[/citation]

Altavista died because the became a portal instead of being a search engine. The rocked, then they sucked period.

 

[Wisecracker]

https://duckduckgo.com

 

[molo9000]

[citation][nom]Camikazi[/nom]If a company wants to stop Google all they have to do is create a better product people will go to it if it is better.[/citation]

Oh yeah? Look at Youtube.
I believe it's closest competitor is Vimeo, which is miles better (better site, better quality, partners are treated much much better, etc.) and yet almost nobody is using it because the community is "stuck" at youtube.

[citation][nom]Flameout[/nom]amen brother. i don't understand the big deal of a FREE product that owns only 30% of the market compared to a PAID product that has 90% of the market *looks at windows*[/citation]

Google, Youtube, etc. are not free. Google earns money by selling advertising, which ultimately increases the price of products you buy.
(btw: Google market share is much higher than 30%. What are you talking about?)

[citation][nom]otacon72[/nom]Maybe if someone would've come up with a better product over the past 25 YEARS.... why do 95% of the world's computers run Windows? It's the best OS out there...end of story.[/citation]

a) Windows market share is actually 99%. Mac OS doesn't compete directly on the OS market since it's only sold bundled with hardware of a single company.

b) Windows is a good OS, but it's not so good that it could justify a 99% market share.

c) Windows is very expensive and has been so for years and years.
Microsoft has had a net profit margin close to 30% for more than a decade and has made Bill Gates the richest man in the world and yet not a single noteworthy competitor besides Linux has arisen in all those years.

So why does Windows have a 99% market share.
3 reasons:
1) The largest OS manufacturer has a cost advantage because he can develop the system once and sell it to millions. (subadditive cost function)
2) Consumers benefit from network effects if they use the same OS as everyone else, even if the OS itself is not the best on the market.
3) Vendor lock-in (*cough* proprietary APIs *cough*) and OEMs who only sell Windows. (Remember when Linux started appearing on the first netbooks? Microsoft quickly threw cheap Windows XP licenses at those OEMs)

 

[mayne92]

[citation][nom]otacon72[/nom]Maybe if someone would've come up with a better product over the past 25 YEARS.... why do 95% of the world's computers run Windows? It's the best OS out there...end of story.[/citation]
...I think you should read Molo9000.

 

[dalethepcman]

WebMD vs Google Medical service. Yeah obviously Google has a monopoly over medical search services, so much so that it's shutting down this product.

Expedia and Trip advisor vs what, Google transit, Google maps? lol

Citysearch and Yelp vs Google wave / buzz. Oh yeah, those have been really successful...

This is all laughable...

 

[Kamab]

Focus anti-trust suits at cell phone carriers and ISPs, not a company that actually thrives off of being innovative.

 

[fir_ser]

I wonder where will this end.