Why Apple Did Not Enter the Search Engine Market

A few years ago, it was rumored that Apple was planning to develop a search engine to compete with Google, but no progress followed. A senior Apple executive has now revealed the reasons behind this decision.

Reasons Why Apple Avoided Building a Search Engine

Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, Eddy Cue, stated the following during a court hearing in Washington, D.C., last week:

1. Developing a search engine is costly and time-intensive, diverting resources from Apple’s primary goals.
2. The rapid evolution of AI technologies makes entering this field economically risky.
3. Apple doesn’t engage in targeted advertising, which conflicts with its core privacy commitments.
4. The company lacks the specialized personnel and infrastructure required to run a successful search engine.

Apple’s agreement to set Google as the default search engine in Safari remains under legal scrutiny. Eddy Cue emphasized that Apple is focused on providing the best user experience by exploring partnerships with other companies.

Microsoft’s Offer and Google’s Payment

Reports indicate that Microsoft repeatedly tried to sell its Bing search engine to Apple, but the offer was declined due to insufficient quality. Interestingly, Google paid Apple $20 billion in 2022 to remain the default search engine on its devices.