Tech giant Apple is expanding its footprints as it plans to leap in an online search. The company is believed to be ramping up its efforts to build a search engine. It aims to provide an alternative to Google Search. Google’s online search tool is the world’s most used search engine. It covers over 90 percent of the market share. According to an estimate, the search engine handles nearly 5.5 billion searches on a daily basis. Apple’s decision is believed to be influenced after Google’s search engine came under antitrust scrutiny in the United States. Reports say that Apple is aggressively working on the project.
Notably, Apple has started to display its website search results on iOS 14. iPhone users have reported that when they type to search from the home screen, they are delivered with Apple’s website search results. The company has dedicated a separate team that is developing an in-house search engine. Apple had in December 2018 hired John Giannandrea who led Google Search. John joined Apple with a wealth of experience. He is believed to be playing a pivotal role in Apple’s project. Google’s search engine is iPhone’s default search tool. The company pays Apple around USD 12 billion every year to be the iPhone’s default search tool.
Apple’s move is significant as it comes in the backdrop of a lawsuit against Google. The lawsuit was filed by the US Justice Department and 11 states. They alleged that Google marred competition and harmed consumers with its dominance in search and advertising. Soon after this, Google announced a series of upgrades to soothe regulators. In case the antitrust scrutiny bars Google, Apple’s efforts in developing its search engine will pay off. Even if Google manages to escape, Apple will be in a position to easily terminate its reliance on Google. Google is also facing heat from several quarters for promoting its own products on the platform. Google has repeatedly claimed that its services are beneficial for consumers.
