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Apple showing signs it may soon launch a search engine

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11–20 of 198 posts

Re: Apple showing signs it may soon launch a search engine

#12
post #5

It's always a tempting story - Apple have the resources, they could make a lot of money from making it the Safari and iOS default, and they're pushing in to services for growth, but people have been suggesting that Apple will launch a search engine "soon" for at least a decade. It hasn't happened yet and there's no particularly significant reason to believe it'll happen now. That said, it would be nice if Google had…

"for at least a decade"

I remember the rumor that Apple was going to get into search back when altavista was a thing.

Re: Apple showing signs it may soon launch a search engine

#13
post #6

If it's anything like Siri, I'll pass. Went back to the iOS ecosystem last year after being in Android/Google land for the past decade. I used Google Assistant on a daily basis easily 20-30 times and 99% of the time it got me what I needed. Siri can't even do a 1/10th of the things I used GA for, and that 1/10th that it does, it does so poorly that I don't even bother anymore.

What sort of tasks were you using GA for?

I use mine to turn a smart plug on or off, and set a timer when cooking.

Nothing else I've ever wanted to do via my Pixel 2 is reliable enough to waste time trying.

Sending a WhatsApp while driving is the one thing I keep wanting to do, but it's hopeless.

Re: Apple showing signs it may soon launch a search engine

#14
I hope they do – Google is far, far, far too dominant in this space, and small-ish incumbents don't really stand a chance. If they keep up their privacy-friendly stance, this could really become something neat. I'd like for at least a little bit of competition in the gatekeeper-for-human-knowledge space.

Re: Apple showing signs it may soon launch a search engine

#15
post #5

It's always a tempting story - Apple have the resources, they could make a lot of money from making it the Safari and iOS default, and they're pushing in to services for growth, but people have been suggesting that Apple will launch a search engine "soon" for at least a decade. It hasn't happened yet and there's no particularly significant reason to believe it'll happen now. That said, it would be nice if Google had…

Microsoft has very deep pockets and created a solid search platform in Bing but they still struggle against Google. Microsoft used ownership of Windows to push their Edge browser (both the original and new flavor) but still struggled against Chrome. For Apple to succeed, they don't need to be "as good," they need to be significantly better or differentiated. One way might be to focus on privacy and play on fears. Combine fear of being tracked with default search engine status one a billion iPhones and you might have a shot at some market share.

Re: Apple showing signs it may soon launch a search engine

#16
post #12
post #5

It's always a tempting story - Apple have the resources, they could make a lot of money from making it the Safari and iOS default, and they're pushing in to services for growth, but people have been suggesting that Apple will launch a search engine "soon" for at least a decade. It hasn't happened yet and there's no particularly significant reason to believe it'll happen now. That said, it would be nice if Google had…

"for at least a decade" I remember the rumor that Apple was going to get into search back when altavista was a thing.

Apple is one of those companies that is seemingly “about to launch” a product in dozens of categories which aren’t their core competencies (Project Titan?). People fail to realize this is what these massive R&D budgets are for...not just the products you see, but the many many projects which don’t get approved. Apple shows impressive restraint in their endeavors. Search would be interesting, though perhaps unwise.

Re: Apple showing signs it may soon launch a search engine

#17
post #10

Scott Galloway talked about this in a recent Pivot Podcast. He predicts it will launch after the US DOJ announces anti-trust actions against Google. If they do it soon, Google will just point to Apple to say "We aren't the only game in town... this $2 trillion dollar company just launched a search engine on a few billion phones/tablets/PCs around the world." They have reason to wait.

Monopolist in one market refrains from competing in another market in order to weaponize antitrust investigation into competitor from a third market.

Re: Apple showing signs it may soon launch a search engine

#19
post #6

If it's anything like Siri, I'll pass. Went back to the iOS ecosystem last year after being in Android/Google land for the past decade. I used Google Assistant on a daily basis easily 20-30 times and 99% of the time it got me what I needed. Siri can't even do a 1/10th of the things I used GA for, and that 1/10th that it does, it does so poorly that I don't even bother anymore.

i've learned to use siri by knowing the select few commands it understands and memorizing the wording. modifying myself to conform to the tool.

Re: Apple showing signs it may soon launch a search engine

#20
post #10

Scott Galloway talked about this in a recent Pivot Podcast. He predicts it will launch after the US DOJ announces anti-trust actions against Google. If they do it soon, Google will just point to Apple to say "We aren't the only game in town... this $2 trillion dollar company just launched a search engine on a few billion phones/tablets/PCs around the world." They have reason to wait.

Monopolist in one market refrains from competing in another market in order to weaponize antitrust investigation into competitor from a third market.

im for it in this case. in the absence of perfect solutions, i'll opt for the best one available.
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