Apple Is Reportedly Building Its Own Version Of Google Search
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Apple could be coming for Google’s crown, according to new reports that the company is ramping up plans to launch its own search engine.
According to reports, this week Apple has quietly begun promoting its own search results on iOS14, suggesting that the company is planning to launch its own search function and eventually replace Google as the default search engine on its products.
The news also comes amid increased activity from its web crawler Applebot, which is used to collect large amounts of data from the web and could potentially feed into a future Apple search engine.
It seems like Apple has been planning the move in Google’s territory for a while now. According to Forbes, the company hired Google’s former head of search, John Giannandrea, more than two years ago, and over the past year has ramped up its recruitment of search experts.
The timing of this news is likely no accident, with Apple looking to take advantage of increased scrutiny being faced by Google. The US Justice Department recently launched an antitrust investigation into the search giant, and the Financial Times suggests that Apple may be preparing to launch a ‘pre-emptive strike’ ahead of any possible regulation stemming from the investigation.
Google currently pays Apple a $8-$12 billion per year to be the default search engine on iPhones and Mac products across the world, The New York Times reports, but that agreement could be under threat. Mega deals like this help to ensure Google’s dominance, and are part of the reason they are being investigated, with reports that antitrust authorities are concerned the company is paying to create ‘continuous and self-reinforcing monopolies’.
There aren’t many companies with the power to take on Google’s dominance, but with a net value of more than $2 trillion, Apple has a better chance than most of making a serious challenge for the throne. The company can not only afford to lose the money Google pays it every year, but also has the resources to build its own competitive search engine. And it looks like that’s exactly what they’re doing.
Forbes notes that Apple’s recent shift to focus on the company’s privacy record could also give it an upper hand, with Google also facing criticism over its own approach to privacy and data rights.
Apple has launched several adverts over the past few months boasting increased user privacy, and could potentially boost these claims by building a search engine that restricts the collection of personal data.
There’s a long way to go before any of this becomes a reality, but whatever Apple has cooking, it seems clear the company has big plans to shake up the internet landscape. And who would bet against them.
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Topics: Technology, Apple, Google, internet, Tech
Credits
Financial Times and 2 othersFinancial Times
Forbes
Apple Building Search Engine To Take On Google, Report Claims
The New York Times
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