Apple may have plans to rival Google in this ‘multi-billion dollar’ business – Times of India

Google is in the midst of an antitrust battle with the US government, facing heavy scrutiny of its search business. Apple is being dragged to court over its relations with the search giant, and this could force the iPhone maker to rethink the multi-billion-dollar deal and replace Google Search with its own, which it has been sort of working on for a long time.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, in his weekly newsletter, notes that Apple has been exploring ways to reduce its dependence on Google. Over the years, Apple has been experimenting with search, evident in its services such as the App Store, Maps, Apple TV, and News. Moreover, the company’s emphasis on search can be seen in Spotlight, which assists users in finding things on their devices. However, the web results have still been powered by Google or Bing.
John Giannandrea, who formerly worked at Google and currently leads the AI division at Apple, is heading a large search team. Giannandrea’s team is working on integrating Apple’s search, internally named “Pegasus,” deeper into the iOS and macOS experience, enhancing the search technology with new generative AI tools.
Apple has also acquired and invested in AI and search technologies, such as Laserlike, an AI-based search engine, which could lay the foundation for its search engine.
While it is unclear when Apple will launch a full-fledged search engine, Gurman notes that the company’s continuous efforts to improve its search capabilities suggest it is just a matter of time.
During the ongoing legal battle between the US Department of Justice and Google, Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president, testified that Apple doesn’t see a need to create its own search engine as Google’s search is the best. Microsoft even reached out to Apple to sell off Bing, but the iPhone maker passed on the offer.
Gurman believes this argument may be more about protecting Google from potential legal issues. If the US government determines that Google has violated antitrust laws, its partnership with Apple may be at risk, costing Apple billions of dollars.