The Case to Break Up Google Hinges on Four Taps and a Swipe

tech.hindustantimes.com:

The core of the US government's argument that Google is an illegal monopoly is a process that involves, on an iPhone, exactly four taps and a swipe. That's what it takes to switch search engines. To explain it step by step, prosecutors called to the witness stand on Sept. 26 one of Apple Inc.'s most powerful executives, Eddy Cue.

Presented with screenshots of an iPhone displayed on a flat screen, Cue sounded like a technician at the Genius Bar. “The Settings app, by default when you buy a new phone, is on the main screen,” he said. “When you tap on that Settings, you get a list.” He went on: “You tap on Safari, and then you have ‘search engine' listed there. It would show you what the current search engine is that you're using as the default. And then if you tap it, you get a list of choices, and you can pick any of them.”

“Not a difficult process,” Cue said.

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Seen another way, it's a labyrinth that most iPhone owners will never bother to enter and one that unfairly compounds Google's lead over rivals such as Microsoft Corp.'s Bing, drives search startups out of business and enriches Apple, which earns billions of dollars annually for setting Google as the default. Whether or not the court agrees that Cue's instructions are simple enough to follow will help determine whether Google faces legal consequences that could go as far as breaking up the company.

The trial, now about halfway finished with Google set to begin formally presenting its defense Thursday, is a trembling fault line jagging the tectonic plates of big tech. Much of the focus so far has been on hush-hush contract negotiations between top brass from the trillion-dollar club, including Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar