Jobs at Apple-Search • Hacker News Board

Re: Jobs at Apple-Search

#41

Post by bobajeff » Thu, Feb 05, 2015, 3:57 AM UTC

abalone wrote: post #39

robotresearcher wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A fighting chance of what? Unless they monetize search, it's just a cost. What ad-free business model can monetize search? Unless they are paying Google a fortune to be the current engine, and rolling their own is cheaper. This seems unlikely.

> What ad-free business model can monetize search? The one where you make craptons of profits selling high-margin devices that come bundled with services that offer ad-free user experiences and maximum privacy. And it's Google that pays Apple a fortune to be the current engine, not the other way around. Just to give you an idea of who holds the cards here.

There is no way they would make enough from iPhones/iPads to pay for the costs of building and running a competitive web search engine. (At least not one built like Google and Bing are)

There is a reason they take a cut of profits from App developers; it's to help pay for the cost of running the App store.

Re: Jobs at Apple-Search

#42

Post by redler » Thu, Feb 05, 2015, 4:22 AM UTC

bobajeff wrote: post #41

abalone wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What ad-free business model can monetize search? The one where you make craptons of profits selling high-margin devices that come bundled with services that offer ad-free user experiences and maximum privacy. And it's Google that pays Apple a fortune to be the current engine, not the other way around. Just to give you an idea of who holds the cards here.

There is no way they would make enough from iPhones/iPads to pay for the costs of building and running a competitive web search engine. (At least not one built like Google and Bing are) There is a reason they take a cut of profits from App developers; it's to help pay for the cost of running the App store.

They're generating profits at a rate of $200 Million per day [sic]. It's fair to say they make enough to pay for the costs of almost anything, including this. You've identified the one requirement they can in fact satisfy; the hard part is... everything else.

Edit: Clarity

Re: Jobs at Apple-Search

#43

Post by Animats » Thu, Feb 05, 2015, 4:59 AM UTC

That job ad doesn't indicate that Apple is going into the search business. Getting into search would need a bigger team.

Given the publicity, this may be a bluff by Apple. Yahoo did something similar. In early 2014, Marissa Mayer announced that Yahoo was going to build their own search engine. Nothing happened. That seems to have been a ploy to get a better deal from Bing.

Re: Jobs at Apple-Search

#44

Post by bobajeff » Thu, Feb 05, 2015, 5:04 AM UTC

redler wrote: post #42

bobajeff wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no way they would make enough from iPhones/iPads to pay for the costs of building and running a competitive web search engine. (At least not one built like Google and Bing are) There is a reason they take a cut of profits from App developers; it's to help pay for the cost of running the App store.

They're generating profits at a rate of $200 Million per day [sic]. It's fair to say they make enough to pay for the costs of almost anything, including this. You've identified the one requirement they can in fact satisfy; the hard part is... everything else. Edit: Clarity

You may be right.

Assuming you're right about their profits, that's 18B per quarter. Operating cost have been said to be around 5B per quarter for Google and 1.25B per quarter for Bing.

Re: Jobs at Apple-Search

#45

Post by yeukhon » Thu, Feb 05, 2015, 5:07 AM UTC

Animats wrote: post #43

That job ad doesn't indicate that Apple is going into the search business. Getting into search would need a bigger team. Given the publicity, this may be a bluff by Apple. Yahoo did something similar. In early 2014, Marissa Mayer announced that Yahoo was going to build their own search engine. Nothing happened. That seems to have been a ploy to get a better deal from Bing.

> Nothing happened.

First hand or just based on trend?

Re: Jobs at Apple-Search

#46

Post by jonathankoren » Thu, Feb 05, 2015, 5:10 AM UTC

billclerico wrote: post #3

I think it's more likely associated with Spotlight vs a web search engine

Bingo. There's nothing to see here. Any search for "search" makes it obvious. What I find interesting is that some of these jobs" rel="nofollow">https://jobs.apple.com/us/search?job=36607344&openJobId=3660... are in San Francisco.

Re: Jobs at Apple-Search

#47

Post by yeukhon » Thu, Feb 05, 2015, 5:11 AM UTC

I suspect content search. Imagine people's home filled with Apple TV, Macbook and iPad. Now what you need is content search. TV program search is done, and it isn't really much exciting than Netflix's suggestion. What about content people bought? Browsing history? Payment history? Medical? Calendar? Travel? Weather? They have a whole ecosystem they built since last release. As other speculates, a refined but better, unified version of spotlight, not just for iOS or OSX, but a truly search with their devices connected. With Sri now you can ask at home like Amazon's Echo, or ask Sri when you are driving. Content search is what matter these days.

Re: Jobs at Apple-Search

#48

Post by unknownian » Thu, Feb 05, 2015, 5:25 AM UTC

Animats wrote: post #43

That job ad doesn't indicate that Apple is going into the search business. Getting into search would need a bigger team. Given the publicity, this may be a bluff by Apple. Yahoo did something similar. In early 2014, Marissa Mayer announced that Yahoo was going to build their own search engine. Nothing happened. That seems to have been a ploy to get a better deal from Bing.

I was under the impression that large tech companies shift devs to different projects often, but Apple does seem like it is already strained by its number of software products.

Re: Jobs at Apple-Search

#49

Post by Steko » Thu, Feb 05, 2015, 5:34 AM UTC

abalone wrote: post #19

mmanfrin wrote: post #12

I am doubtful this is to take on Google directly, and I am sincerely doubtful that they'd be able to pull it off if it was. Microsoft funneled billions in to competing, and it has mostly fizzled. Google has had too much of a head start to be competed with head-on.

Apple has two things Bing & Google don't: 1) an ad-free business model 2) control of Siri & Spotlight, the native search functions on a huge swath of devices I'd say they have a fighting chance.

You forgot 3) not banned in China

Re: Jobs at Apple-Search

#50

Post by dataminded » Thu, Feb 05, 2015, 5:38 AM UTC

robotresearcher wrote: post #36

abalone wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple has two things Bing & Google don't: 1) an ad-free business model 2) control of Siri & Spotlight, the native search functions on a huge swath of devices I'd say they have a fighting chance.

A fighting chance of what? Unless they monetize search, it's just a cost. What ad-free business model can monetize search? Unless they are paying Google a fortune to be the current engine, and rolling their own is cheaper. This seems unlikely.

Why does Apple need to make money on search?