Bloomberg reports that in 2014, Google paid Apple $1 billion for being the first default iOS search location. And on top of this, they also pay a fee for income from advertising clicks in Google search results – it is said to be from 34%, although it is not clear who benefits most.
What is most notable is that both Apple and Google, separately, stated seeking to have the figures removed from the court documentation.
The trial judge presiding over the subsequent hearing rejected Google's request to block sensitive information in the transcript of the public opinion.
Google asked alsup seal and redact the transcript, saying disclosure could seriously affect its ability to negotiate similar deals with other companies. Apple joined the request from Google in a separate statement.
It seems to have been successful as the documents were later removed, but not before journalists discovered it.
The documentation vanished without a trace from electronic court records at approximately 3 pm Pacific Standard Time with no indication that the court gave in to Google's request to seal it.
Now that the trade-off is known, it begs the question of what other search engine would be willing to spend that amount of money to become the default search engine. And most importantly, it could match Apple's revenue from ad clicks too. And the odds are, that no one would be able to match him.
It also shows why Apple is more willing to make the default search deal with Google, even though many question the reasons behind the competition between the two companies, both in terms of devices and apps. It is also unclear how long this default search agreement will remain in effect.
