It recently became known that Apple intends to defend its interests on its own in the antitrust investigation of the US authorities regarding Google. One of the reasons for this motivation was Apple’s lack of intentions to create its own search engine. The company’s management explained why the company adheres to this position.
Image source: Unsplash, Souvik Banerjee
In documents filed in US Federal Court, Apple’s senior vice president of services, Eddy Cue, cited several arguments against creating its own search engine. First, it would require billions of dollars in spending over several years, diverting resources from what Apple management viewed as more important potential growth areas for the business.
Secondly, according to the company’s management, the search business is actively developing thanks to the active use of artificial intelligence, and it would be risky for Apple to get involved in this race. Third, to create an economically viable search business, Apple would have to sell targeted advertising, which is not a core business for the company and would conflict with its long-term priorities of protecting the privacy of its customers.
Finally, Apple believes it doesn’t have the talent or infrastructure to keep its search engine business afloat. American justice authorities are now challenging the practice of designating Google as the default search service on Apple devices. The latter company is ready to provide its own witnesses and defend its interests in the investigation being conducted against Google. According to an Apple representative, the company always strives to provide users with the best experience, for which it is considering various partnerships and combinations of efforts with other companies. In 2022, Apple received almost $20 billion from Google for maintaining the search engine of the same name as the main one on Apple devices. According to the company’s management, if this practice is interrupted, “it will undermine Apple’s ability to deliver products that best serve the interests of users.”