Confirmed: Google pays $ 1 billion to be the official search engine for iGadgets

As for the Google pay for Apple in order to be the official Safari search engine on iPads, iPhones and iPods touch? We have already discussed the matter a lot here on the site, with the number jumping from $ 100 million in 2010 to $ 1 billion in 2012/2013. These values ​​were no more than suppositions, after all, companies never spoke publicly about this agreement. Now, however, due to a process between Google and Oracle, that number was revealed as informed by Bloomberg.

According to information released by Annette Hurst (Oracle's lawyer), the amount paid by Google Apple in 2014 was really $ 1 billion. The companies have an agreement in which Google passes Apple a percentage of the revenue generated by searches on Safari on iOS. Also according to the lawyer, this percentage of 34% (although it is not clear whether Google pays 34% or maintains this percentage for him, passing on 66% to Ma).

Robert Van Nest (Google's lawyer) did not like Hurst to have released these numbers and asked the judge responsible for the case to block this transcript information that is available to the general public (this request is denied). Google then asked Judge William Alsup to seal and draft the transcript, saying that disclosure of the information could greatly affect the company's ability to negotiate similar deals with other companies. Even Apple entered the play in a separate order, giving more weight to Google's request.

“The specific financial terms of the agreement between Google and Apple are highly sensitive to both companies. Both Apple and Google have always treated this information extremely confidentially, ”said Google in its request. The transcript then disappeared without a trace, with no indication of the court's decision on Google and Apple's request to seal it.

Hurst also released another important piece of data that clearly shows the difference between Apple's commercial strategy and that of Google. According to Oracle’s lawyer, Android has generated revenue of $ 31 billion and a profit of $ 22 billion until today (since its launch), another information that Google also said should not be published, as said Bloomberg.

While Google earned $ 31 billion from Android (for the life of the operating system), only in the past fiscal quarter did Apple generate $ 32.4 billion from sales of iPhones. Yes, a single quarter of Apple was enough to beat more than 7 years of Android history. 😱

As I said, there are very different strategies: while Apple makes its own operating system to boost hardware sales, Google gains only with its share of Google Play (app store) and with the ads running on its operating system. the task of monetizing on devices is up to partners like Samsung, LG, HTC, Sony, etc.

But back to the numbers, as much as Google and Apple want to hide the information, the internet is down and the damage is done. After all, everyone is now "inside".

(via The Verge, 9to5Mac)