Why Apple won’t take on Google in the search engine race

WASHINGTON: Apple’s head of services, Eddy Cue, has shed light on why the company isn’t interested in creating its own search engine, like Google’s.

In a recent court filing in Washington, DC, Cue explained that there are several big reasons behind this decision. For starters, Cue pointed out that building a search engine would cost Apple “billions of dollars” and take “many years.”

More importantly, it would pull crucial investment and staff away from other areas the company is focused on growing. On top of that, the search business is changing fast thanks to AI, making it a “risky” bet for Apple.

Cue also touched on a major issue: to succeed in search, Apple would have to rely on “targeted advertising,” something that’s not in the company’s DNA and clashes with its long-held commitment to privacy. Apple just doesn’t have the specialised talent or infrastructure to take on such a massive task.

This all comes as the US Department of Justice is locked in an antitrust battle with Google. Earlier this year, the court ruled that Google’s deal to be the default search engine on Apple’s Safari browser was illegal.

Cue argued that only Apple should decide what kinds of partnerships are best for its users and pushed for Apple to bring in its own witnesses to defend the agreement.

He also revealed that Google paid Apple around $20 billion in 2022 alone as part of the deal. If the agreement falls apart, Cue warned, it would “hamstring” Apple’s ability to keep delivering the products and services its users rely on.

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