Apple SVP Eddy Cue Defends iPhone’s Default Google Search Choice in D.C. Hearing

Apple's Eddy Cue, in D.C. federal court, endorsed iPhone's Google search default, saying it best serves users and there were no valid alternatives, amidst an ongoing antitrust trial.

Cue testified to defend Apple's move to use Google search on its iPhone products. As per CNBC, he is the company's representative and lead negotiator for its multibillion-dollar contract with the Mountain View, California-headquartered tech firm.

He attended a hearing at a federal court in Washington, D.C., to discuss the long-established cooperation between Apple Inc. and Google LLC. He was expected to reveal a more in-depth look at the agreement in his closed-door testimony, but his opening statements already straightened out some details of the deal that are not often discussed in public.

Based on the estimation of Bernstein analysts, Google may pay Apple up to $19 billion this year. The exact terms of their agreement were not revealed, but the given figure is most likely. On the other hand, Cue said in his testimony that under the contract, Google pays an unrevealed cut of the net revenue it makes from ads on searches that appear on Apple devices.

"When we are picking search engines, we pick the best one and we let the customer easily change them," Apple's SVP of service said in his testimony for choosing Google as iPhone's default search engine. "(We) thought it was the right thing and the fair thing for us."

Cue added, "Certainly there was not a valid alternative we would have gone to. It is not something that we ever really truly considered. The more choices or the more options that you get, it frustrates customers."

The New York Post reported that Cue's testimony supported a central defense of Google's legal team that said consumers prefer Google's search engine due to its high-quality service. DOJ lawyers said the tech firm spends over $10 billion to pay different partners yearly, including Apple, AT&T, and Verizon, to clinch dominance over online search.

Meanwhile, Cue's testimony is part of the antitrust trial that has been going on for three weeks already. This was launched as companies faced criticism over a lack of public transparency.

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