Apple is developing search to take on Google. This rumour has been going on for years. Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services Eddy Cue has reportedly junked these. As part of its ongoing case against Google’s dominance in the search industry, the Department of Justice (DoJ) is focusing on the agreement between Apple and Google, in which Google serves as the default search engine on iPhones. In a recent court filing (seen by the news agency Reuters), Cue explained why the iPhone maker has chosen not to develop its own search engine, a move that would directly challenge Google’s position. This statement is said to be a key piece of evidence in the DOJ’s investigation.
What Cue said about Apple’s search engine
Cue outlined several key reasons why creating a search engine is not a feasible path for Apple. His statement directly contradicts the court’s belief that the proposed remedies would push Apple to compete with Google’s dominance in the search industry. Here are the three reasons:
- “Apple is focused on other growth areas. The development of a search engine would require diverting both capital investment and employees because creating a search engine would cost billions of dollars and take many years.”
- “Search is rapidly evolving due to recent and ongoing developments in Artificial Intelligence. That makes it economically risky to devote the huge resources that would be required to create a search engine.”
- “A viable search engine would require building a platform to sell targeted advertising, which is not a core business of Apple. Apple does not have the volume of specialised professionals and significant operational infrastructure needed to build and run a successful search advertising business. Although Apple does have some niche advertising, such as on the App Store platform, search advertising is different and outside of Apple’s core expertise. Building a search advertising business would also need to be balanced against Apple’s long standing privacy commitments.”
Apart from this, Apple has also requested to participate in the upcoming antitrust trial against Google. The trial centers on Google’s dominance in online search, and Apple’s involvement signals its concern over the potential impact on its lucrative partnership with the search giant.
In another filing, Apple wrote: “Google can no longer adequately represent Apple’s interests: Google must now defend against a broad effort to break up its business units.”