The author's point about how Google Shopping is an ad is really not worthwhile. When Google introduced shopping it was a search product, not an ad. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Shopping#Change_to_paid...
The investigation was concerned with Google's introduction and promotion of Google Shopping in its search results, not with whether it's a problem for Google to show product listing ads.
Trying to cleave out different verticals from a search engine would be a major disadvantage to consumers.
> I live in a city where Google Maps has, until one month ago, had basically no traffic data, satellite imagery was from 2004, and even today still supports no transit.
> Here maps has up-to-date imagery of highest quality, has traffic and transit data.
> Yet, many people use Google Maps, even if that provides worse results, sends them on roads that don’t exist anymore, etc.
> When one recommends they switch, they say "but Google Maps is preinstalled, installing Here Maps would be so much effort, and it doesn’t work with Ok Google".
Do you think this is an advantage to consumers, that they end up with the worse product?