Published at: 2 Oct, 2023, 22:15 [IST]
Amidst the turbulent tempest of antitrust disputes with the United States government, Google finds itself under intense scrutiny, particularly regarding its dominion in the realm of search. Meanwhile, Apple stands at the precipice of a courtroom confrontation, entangled in a legal tussle linked to its association with the search titan. This looming battle may compel the iPhone progenitor to reevaluate its substantial multi-billion-dollar pact, perhaps contemplating the substitution of Google Search with an in-house creation that has been discreetly nurtured over an extended span.
In the venerable annals of Bloomberg, chronicler Mark Gurman, through the medium of his weekly epistle, sheds light on Apple’s protracted endeavors to diminish its reliance on Google’s search supremacy. Apple’s odyssey into the realm of search is an intriguing narrative woven subtly throughout its diverse services, from the precincts of the App Store, the cartography of Maps, the tapestry of Apple TV, to the chronicles of Apple News. Moreover, the company’s reverence for search is palpable in the luminous beacon of Spotlight, which guides users in their quest for digital artifacts within the confines of their devices. However, despite these forays, the edifice of web results has remained steadfastly buttressed by the pillars of Google or Bing.
At the helm of Apple’s search odyssey is John Giannandrea, a luminary who once graced the halls of Google and now commands the ship of artificial intelligence within Apple’s dominion. Giannandrea’s cadre diligently toils to intertwine Apple’s nascent search venture, clandestinely christened “Pegasus,” more profoundly into the tapestry of the iOS and macOS experience, endowing the search apparatus with the sinews of novel generative AI tools.
Apple’s voyage into search also encompasses strategic acquisitions and investments in the realms of artificial intelligence and search technologies. Notably, the acquisition of Laserlike, an AI-driven search engine, may well serve as the cornerstone upon which Apple erects its own search edifice.
The harbinger of Apple’s fully-fledged search engine’s advent remains cloaked in the mists of uncertainty. Nonetheless, Gurman postulates that Apple’s ceaseless endeavors to fortify its search capabilities portend an inevitable manifestation, merely awaiting the opportune moment to unveil itself.
In the crucible of the ongoing legal skirmish between the United States Department of Justice and Google, Eddy Cue, the venerable senior vice president of Apple, proffered testimony. He posited that Apple perceives no exigency to engender its own search engine, citing Google’s search prowess as preeminent. Notably, Microsoft, with an audacious gambit, extended an offer to Apple, proffering Bing for acquisition. However, the Cupertino-based titan demurred, passing on this overture.
Gurman proffers a conjecture that this stance might be more about safeguarding Google from the specter of legal repercussions. Should the aegis of the U.S. government determine Google’s transgressions against the antitrust statutes, the vaunted partnership between Google and Apple may teeter on the precipice, entailing potentially incalculable financial ramifications for the tech behemoth.
