Apple is currently competing with Google in the operating system market and flagship phones. Not only that, the iPhone manufacturer is reportedly going to fight Google's dominance in the realm of search engines.
According to blogger Robert Scoble, Apple will introduce its own search engine to compete with Google. He made the prediction at the end of a Twitter thread about what products Apple will announce in the next few years.
Scoble gave no further explanation in his Twitter thread. But to TechRadar Pro, he says this information is based partly on conversations with sources and partly on deductions.
"This will be the most expensive product launch of all time," said Scoble, as quoted by TechRadar Pro, Monday (6/6/2022).
Oh, and a new search engine is coming too. Will Siri finally get "smart?" Hmmm.
— Robert Scoble (@Scobleizer) May 28, 2022
Apple itself will hold a Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) event on June 6-10, 2022, but Scoble said Apple's search engine will not be announced at the event. He explained that Apple still needs time and the possibility of this service will be launched in January 2023.
This isn't the first time Apple has been rumored to be launching a competitor to Google. In 2020, Apple will reportedly expand Siri search results and Spotlight Searches which could potentially be developed into a universal search engine.
Apple already has a search engine used by Siri and Spotlight Searches. So it makes sense that they would want to develop it into a service on par with Google.
Not only that, Apple has also previously replaced Google services with its own services. Like when Apple abandoned Google Maps in favor of Apple Maps, although the rollout wasn't so smooth at first.
But if Apple really develops a search engine to replace Google, the Cupertino, US-based company must be prepared to lose huge amounts of revenue.
The reason is, in 2021 Google reportedly paid Apple USD 15 billion to become the default search engine on iOS. If the report is accurate, the payout is equivalent to 15-20% of Apple's annual revenue in 2020.