Google Feels FTC Antitrust Heat In U.S. Over Dominant Android Operating System
When Google's Android OS began overtaking every other mobile OS in terms of marketshare, it seemed obvious that at some point, the company would be catching a bit of flak for it. In fact, it seemed inevitable that the EU would have something to say about it, as it's traditionally been strict amount companies that dominate a particular segment of the tech market. Look no further than Microsoft with Windows; the company now has to produce a special edition of the OS in order to appease the EU.
Well, the EU does in fact have a beef with Google's dominance, especially where Android is concerned. Last week, a second set of antitrust charges were flung at Google, involving both the search function of Android, and bundled apps. Google vehemently denies the charges, saying that if anything, it does promotes competition.
It might be hard to continue that argument stateside, as the FTC is also concerned about Google's dominance - at least enough to pursue whether or not the company is in fact involved in a monopoly.
According to Reuters, the FTC has been in contact with two companies as part of its investigation into potential wrongdoing. As with the EU charges, the FTC wants to see if Google has strong-armed vendors to ship Android a certain way, giving itself an unfair advantage in the market.
If you're wondering why Apple doesn't fear such accusations, it's because the company produces its own OS for its own devices. It's this distinction that makes a major difference in this kind of case. If Google ever only made its own devices, it wouldn't face allegations like these, but because it relies on third-party vendors to produce Android smartphones and tablets, it opens up a major can of worms if it wants to push its agenda a little too hard.
Neither the EU's or FTC's cases are going to reach a conclusion very quickly, and right now, it's hard to speculate whether or not Google is indeed in the wrong. As with most things of this nature, we're dealing with a waiting game so sit back and enjoy the elevator music.
