Here's Why There Will Never Be an Apple Search Engine

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Google is in trouble in the United States. Indeed, the firm has lost its antitrust case against the American government. And now, the courts must decide on the “remedies” to apply to prevent illegal behavior. As we mentioned in a previous article, the government has requested a breakup of Google that would force it to separate from its Chrome browser. But it is also possible that the American courts will simply end the agreements made between Google and entities such as Apple and Mozilla.

As a reminder, Google is offered as the default search engine on Safari and shares part of its advertising revenue with Apple. And while the courts have yet to decide on the measures, Apple has intervened to defend its interests. As our colleagues at MacRumors explain, this is a declaration filed in the Federal Court of Washington DC. In it, Eddy Cue, senior vice president of Apple services, speaks out against one of the arguments according to which Apple would develop its own search engine if it did not have these agreements with Google.

“Apple’s witnesses may present testimony and evidence explaining why this assumption is incorrect. This evidence would cover the challenges Apple would face in entering the search engine market, why Apple has thus far chosen not to develop a search engine, and why it is unlikely that Apple will decide to build a search engine in the future, regardless of the remedies ordered in this case,” the statement reads.

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Billions of dollars in investment

According to Eddy Cue, Apple is focusing on other growth drivers. Developing a search engine would require many employees and billions of dollars of investment, while taking several years. He also mentions the risk linked to the fact that the online search market is evolving rapidly with recent developments in generative AI. In addition, Apple would be forced to create a targeted advertising platform capable of monetizing a search engine. “Apple does not have the number of specialized professionals and the significant operational infrastructure needed to create and manage a successful search advertising business,” says Eddy Cue.

In any case, the agreement it has with Google is very lucrative for Apple. He indicates that in 2022, the Mountain View firm paid nearly $20 billion. Otherwise, Apple is currently interested in similar partnerships in the field of generative artificial intelligence. As a reminder, Apple Intelligence allows ChatGPT to be integrated into Siri. This agreement with OpenAI can boost sales of ChatGPT Plus subscriptions which, when paid for from an iPhone, generate commissions for the App Store. And Apple has already indicated that it would like to see other chatbots integrated into Apple Intelligence, including Google's Gemini AI.

• In the case between Google and the US government, Apple has stepped in to defend its interests
• Indeed, Google is the default search engine for Safari, which allows Apple to receive annual payments from Google
• Apple states, in a statement sent to the US courts, that it has no intention of creating its own search engine, regardless of the outcome of the trial

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