EU Antitrust, why being targeted to Google than Apple? Google, EU-IT information

On April 26, it was reported The Verge technology website, the 20th of this month, the European Commission announced that, after a year-long investigation, they discovered that Google's Android operating system violates EU antitrust law. Then they released an official statement and said it would open antitrust cases against Google.

Associated EU Google in three markets (search, mobile operation of the new system and app store) retain a monopoly position, and the company has been using the position competition. European Commission says Google has forced preinstalled OEM manufacturers a variety of Google services and applications, in addition, in order to let Google become the exclusive search engine browser, Google also gives manufacturers a lot of Kickback.

Android open platform, right?

The new antitrust case will not only help the European Union to standardize search marketing, also aroused people's thinking, it is known as the open platform is truly open.

Google says Android system is open source, so anyone can source code to create your own unique operating system, and it is this unique property, let the Android ecosystem of vendors can enjoy plenty of competition. If the Android platform still stifling competition, so there is no competition in the Apple eco-wouldn't it be worse? Why the European Union has chosen to use Google as a weapon?

According to Google, "in which case"

To explain it, we still have to Google search to begin. May 2010, the EU was eyeing Google's search business, they think Google will give priority to jump out of the site, interfere with the user's judgment. The survey, an astonishingly long European Union over five years, Google has been seeking reconciliation, but was rejected by the EU one by one.

Last April, the European Union finally launched the antitrust proceedings, but this time they are not Google's search business, but Google (Google Shopping) business. In addition, the EU also means that a Google search of the antitrust investigation is still underway.

The prosecution against Android also is the continuation of the EU investigation on Google search, because the EU believes that Google is on the desktop side of the advantages migrating to mobile, and search giant wants to repeat the unilateral competitive standard in the mobile platform set up for their own. Therefore, the antitrust investigation into the case, the EU must not only solve the 2010 begins the search monopoly case, also to promote competition in the mobile phone applications, and in this area, much more than An Zhuobi Apple's dominance.

Google still holds the Android core

Android is an open source platform, most of its software using open source strategy, but some core functions are held by the manufacturer and Google, so manufacturers can make use of their own advantages to competitive differentiation, this is different from Apple's strategy.

But the EU does not think so, they think Google changed the subject, and said that this kind of competition is not sufficient, dominant Google could abuse their rights, and abuse of a dominant market position in the eyes of the European Union but a felony. This means that Google just hit the line and was hit three times, the main business of the troika is a thorn in the side of the EU.

In fact the EU's reaction is not surprising, and ensure fair competition, after all, is one of the functions of the Government, and his three swords, such as Google, Big Mac must have thought I'd be targeted by the Government.

In addition to the above offences, the European Union also believes that Google is secretly manipulating the Android platform competition. Manufacturer master if you want to install Google's Android core application (without these applications, dysfunction of the system), you must sign a "reverse split" Protocol (not free to tampering with the system), so that all manufacturers have run out of Google hand. From a competition standpoint, Google has such restrictions, some naked.

Charges against pre-installed software, the EU is long overdue, as early as in 2004 when they forced out the Microsoft Windows preinstalled on Windows Media Player in order to guarantee the right to fair competition from other media players (this will cause the operating system prices, competition is not cheap).

And when the 2010 EU eyeing Google, mobile phone market leader Nokia and Symbian, but then all of a sudden mutation, who at that time did not know which platform will eventually rise, if the EU chose Google is on a whim, after all, what choice does not require the cost.

Why alone?

Monopoly of these EU value, and Apple is not involved. Apple's rise is based on iPod and iPhone, rather than a media player pre-installed. On the operating system, Apple select exclusive strategies, hardware is to be build by oneself, so Apple does not control other OEM manufacturers like a Google, the European Union is less "find fault" excuses. Chasing Google in fact the European Union is trying to solve this old case of search and, in addition, judging from the sales and market share, iPhone in front of the Android camp is too small.

欧盟反垄断，为啥被盯上的是谷歌而不是苹果？ - 谷歌,欧盟 - IT资讯

4月26日，据科技网站The Verge报道，本月20日，欧洲委员会宣布，经过一年的漫长调查，它们发现谷歌旗下的安卓操作系统违反了欧盟的反垄断法。随后它们发布了官方声明并表示将开启针对谷歌的反垄断案。

欧盟认为谷歌在三个关联市场（搜索、移动操作新系统和应用商城）保有垄断地位，而且该公司一直在利用该地位阻碍竞争。欧盟委员会称谷歌一直强制OEM厂商预装各种谷歌服务和应用，此外，为了让谷歌搜索成为浏览器独占搜索引擎，谷歌还给厂商提供了大量回扣。

安卓不是开放平台吗？

这起新的反垄断案不但能帮助欧盟规范搜索市场，还引起了人们的思考，那就是所谓的开放平台到底是不是真的开放。

谷歌称Android系统是开源的，因此任何人都能根据源代码打造自己独一无二的操作系统，而正是这种独特的属性，让安卓生态中的厂商能享有充足的竞争。如果说这样的安卓平台还在扼杀竞争，那么完全不存在竞争的苹果生态岂不是更加恶劣？为什么欧盟却偏偏要拿谷歌开刀呢？

针对谷歌的“案中案”

要解释这件事，我们还得先从谷歌的搜索业务说起。其实2010年5月时，欧盟就盯上了谷歌的搜索业务，它们认为谷歌搜索会优先跳出自家网站，干扰用户的判断。这项调查异常漫长，欧盟一查就是五年多，谷歌一直在寻求和解，但方案都被欧盟一一驳回。

去年4月，欧盟终于启动了反垄断的法律程序，不过这次它们针对的不是谷歌的搜索业务，而是其谷歌购物（Google Shopping）业务。此外，欧盟还表示针对谷歌搜索的反垄断调查还在进行中。

这次针对安卓系统的起诉其实还是欧盟对谷歌搜索业务调查的延续，因为欧盟认为谷歌正将自己在桌面端的优势迁移到移动端，而且搜索巨人还想故技重使，单方面在移动平台设立有利于自己的竞争标准。因此，这次的反垄断调查成了案中案，欧盟不但要解决2010年开始的搜索垄断案，还要推动手机应用领域的竞争，而在该领域，安卓比苹果的统治力要强得多。

谷歌依旧掌握着安卓的核心

安卓确实是一个开源平台，其大部分软件采用开源策略，但有些核心功能还是掌握在厂商和谷歌手中，因此厂商可以借助自身优势进行差异化竞争，这与苹果的策略完全不同。

不过欧盟可不这样看，它们认为谷歌是在转移话题，并表示这种竞争不够充分，处于支配地位的谷歌可能会滥用自身权利，而滥用市场支配地位在欧盟眼中可是重罪。这就意味着谷歌正好撞在了枪口上，而且还是连撞三次，其主营业务的的三驾马车都是欧盟的眼中钉。

其实欧盟的反应并不出人意料，毕竟保证公平竞争是政府的职责之一，而像谷歌这样三剑合璧的巨无霸必然也想到过自己会被政府盯上。

除了上面说到的罪名，欧盟还认为谷歌正秘密操控安卓平台的竞争。厂商如果想安装谷歌掌握的安卓核心应用（没有这些应用，系统功能不全），就必须签订“反分割”协议（不能随意篡改系统），这样一来，所有厂商都跑不出谷歌的手掌心了。从竞争角度来看，谷歌这样的限制就有些赤裸裸了。

至于针对预装软件的指控，欧盟其实早有成例，早在2004年时它们就强迫微软删掉Windows上预装的Windows Media Player，以保证其他媒体播放器的公平竞争权（这样会造成操作系统涨价，竞争权确实不便宜）。

而当2010年欧盟盯上谷歌时，手机市场的霸主还是诺基亚和塞班，但随后却突然风云突变，当时谁也不知道哪个平台会最终崛起，也许欧盟当时选择针对谷歌也是一时兴起吧，毕竟做出选择不需要什么成本。

苹果为何能独善其身？

而以上这些欧盟看重的垄断问题苹果反而都不涉及。苹果崛起靠的是iPod和iPhone，而不是某个预装的媒体播放器。在操作系统上，苹果则直接选择独占策略，硬件也是由自己来打造，因此苹果不会像谷歌一样控制其他OEM厂商，欧盟也就少了“找茬”的借口。其实欧盟追着谷歌还是想解决搜索业务这个陈年老案，此外，从销量和市场占有率来看，iPhone在安卓阵营面前实在是太渺小了。