Google might pay Apple $9bn to remain default iPhone search-engine
Search giant Google is reportedly willing to pay Apple a whopping $9bn (around Rs. 65,000cr) in 2018 to remain the default search engine for the iPhone's default web browser, Safari. This is a tremendous figure, considering the sum Google paid Apple in 2013 and 2014 was around $1bn. In 2017, analysts estimated it to have swollen to $3bn. Here are the details.
Remaining Safari's default search engine will cost more in 2019
Indeed, if paying $9bn wasn't enough, remaining Safari's default web search engine is set to become even more costly for Google. According to a Business Insider report that cited Goldman Sachs analyst Rod Hall, the fee Google will have to pay Apple to retain its default search engine rights in 2019 is expected to be a mind-blowing $12bn!
What is the basis for the billions Apple charges?
"We believe this revenue is charged ratably based on the number of searches that users on Apple's platform originate from Siri or within the Safari browser," Hall told Business Insider.
Apple devices are important for Google in terms of traffic
While currently Apple uses Google as its default search engine for the Safari browser on iOS devices like iPhones and iPads, Apple also uses Bing for other purposes as searching the web through Siri. However, considering that analysts estimate that Apple devices are among the biggest sources of traffic acquisition for Google, the search giant, with its abundant wealth, will probably not mind paying.
