> I find it 10x more likely Apple would suddenly find the motivation to make their own search engine if forced to end their deal with Google.
I find it 10x more likely that in such case they would use white label Bing and do front-end on their own.
I think that could only work if someone successfully makes the case internally that an Apple search engine built in to Safari (not as a first-class web app) would boost the Apple brand and/or Safari market share enough to justify it. Maybe even offer it as a subscription.
To monetize it with ads would go completely against their DNA -- ad revenue incentivizes companies to violate users' privacy and build a sub-optimal UX. So it would have to be either a subscription or a platform feature.
But I’m sure they make some money off of the Uber/Lyft integration
I find it 10x more likely Apple would suddenly find the motivation to make their own search engine if forced to end their deal with Google.
(They say they wouldn't under any circumstance, but seems to be posturing to me)
Regardless, it's clear getting paid Billions to give people the default they'd choose anyway is a good deal for them.
I wonder who at Google negotiated this, because the terms seem very bad for them. They only make sense if the premise was to prevent Apple from starting a competitor