Is Apple developing an alternative to Google search?

Many of us search the web and just google by default without thinking about it. But what if it wasn’t the default? There are many alternatives. Apple is said to be developing its own search engine to eventually replace Google search on its devices, and the information comes as companies flounder in a Justice Department lawsuit.

Justice Department sues Google

Before we get to a possible new search service, let’s see why Apple is doing this.

What has emerged is that Apple earns up to $ 12 billion a year from Google. They get paid to make Google the default search engine on Macs, iPhones, iPads, etc. In order for Google to pay that much, it must be very important to them.

Apple supports these heavy payments through its “services” category. The iPhone has always been, and still is, Apple’s big money maker. It’s less the case now, but it’s still the best income in Apple’s stable. But its category of services – Apple TV +, Apple Music, Apple News +, etc. – brings in more and more.

This amount was learned due to the US Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit against Google. The lawsuit says Google has an unfair advantage over rivals who can’t afford to buy their way onto the iPhone.

IPhone sales in the last quarter were $ 26.44 billion. It sounds incredible until you find out it was $ 33.36 just over a year ago. Services grossed $ 14.55 billion, up 16%. Yet the Justice Department lawsuit says nearly a quarter of that comes from Google. Apple’s greatest service is what it gets from Google.

Does Apple risk losing Google and its billions? If so, it is unlikely to be the case anytime soon. It will be stuck in court for a while. And that could die out if the United States had a new president in January.

Apple’s own research service

It wouldn’t hurt Apple to start developing its own search engine. If anything happens to this antitrust lawsuit, Apple might not be able to make Google its default search engine. But even if he creates his own, he won’t make $ 12 billion. But for a company that’s the first to be valued at $ 2 trillion, that might not hurt them too much.

IOS 14 users may not have realized it, but as you can see in the image below, Apple is already working on its own search engine. Apple combined a device search with an app / website search. When you run a search, it searches for devices, emails, contacts, apps and, yes, websites, through Siri search. Also, you can see the AI ​​in-game where she knew I was typing Apple One and not Apole One.

Not only are they creating a search engine that could one day replace Google on its devices, but they are making it more mundane by not limiting it to the World Wide Web.

The Financial Times reports that Apple is indeed seeking to create such a service and notes that it would be “a significant step forward” that could further harm Google.

It should be noted that John Giannandrea, head of artificial intelligence at Apple, at one point led the search engine business at Google.

It’s not that Apple is sitting well, as it is also battling an antitrust lawsuit by Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite. It’s unclear how quickly this combination could come to an end, but it doesn’t look like Epic is moving away anytime soon.

Laura Tucker

Laura has spent nearly 20 years writing news, reviews, and opinion pieces, including more than 10 as editor. She has used Apple products exclusively for three decades. In addition to writing and editing at MTE, she also runs the site’s sponsored editing program.

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