The DOJ's Misjudgment: Why Apple Won't Develop Its Own Search Engine Without Google

Eddy Cue, Senior Vice President of Services at Apple,

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is actively pursuing a strategy to prevent Apple from receiving any portion of the revenue from Google Search utilized on Apple devices over the next decade. Additionally, they aim to forbid Apple from entering into any new agreements with Google, including a rumored collaboration between the two tech giants.

“Only Apple can speak to what kinds of future collaborations can best serve its users. Apple is relentlessly focused on creating the best user experience possible and explores potential partnerships and arrangements with other companies to make that happen. If the remedies above were implemented, it would hamstring Apple's ability to continue delivering products that best serve its users' needs.” - Eddy Cue, Senior VP of Services, Apple

Cue indicated that a ruling favoring the government would force Apple into two "unacceptable" alternatives: either keep Google Search as the default engine in Safari without any revenue sharing—effectively allowing Google access to Apple's customers for free—or eliminate Google Search from Safari entirely. However, as Cue noted in the legal filing, “customers prefer Google.”

The government seems to believe that eliminating Apple's financial ties to Google will motivate Apple to invest in developing its own search engine. Cue argues that this expectation is fundamentally incorrect and stresses that building such a platform would demand not only extensive financial resources but also significant time commitments, with the venture laden with economic risks due to the rapidly changing landscape of search technology driven by AI advancements.

Moreover, Cue highlights the challenges of creating a platform capable of selling targeted advertisements. While Apple does participate in niche advertising, establishing a search advertising business would conflict with its commitment to user privacy.

Despite these factors outlined by Cue, Bloomberg reports that Apple is taking an active role in Google's legal challenges as an Intervenor-Defendant, asserting that Google can no longer effectively advocate for Apple's interests amidst a push to fragment Google's business structure. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman noted that Apple's Spotlight feature exemplifies its search capabilities, akin to having a sophisticated search function integrated within its mobile devices.

Spotlight serves as a prime model for what an Apple-developed search engine could achieve. It allows users to engage with a robust search tool directly from their devices, offering instantaneous search results based on user input. This functional interface can be accessed by swiping down from the home screen or tapping the search bar present beneath app icons.

According to Apple, Spotlight enables users to:

If Spotlight represents the capabilities of a future Apple search engine, the potential is certainly intriguing.