Apple really needs its own search engine

[desura]

Apple has great industrial designs and it has some solid software engineering, but it seems to me that it isn't quite as good at google for things like email, maps, and search in general, and in the long-run these things will only become more important because they provide lasting value while things like UI or design aesthetics fade into the background after the initial impression.

Siri looks like a step in that direction. But it seems to me that Google Now does as much and more than Siri, and (most importantly) is more accurate.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Maybe with all that money they have in their mattress they can just buy Yahoo to get started.

 

[el-Capitan]

Maybe with all that money they have in their mattress they can just buy Yahoo to get started.

I think I read somewhere that the Yahoo! searches are actually performed by Bing.

 

[mikegg]

I think I read somewhere that the Yahoo! searches are actually performed by Bing.

Yup, by Bing but they contemplated a switch to using Google.

And to the OP, one does not simply make a search engine. It takes countless billions to even get one started. It takes billions more to get it actually working well. Just ask Bing. There's a reason no one has been able to challenge Google in search.

If someone is going to challenge Google in search, it wouldn't be Apple, it'd be Facebook.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Yahoo started out with it's own engine. And I think this deal with Microsoft is more about Microsoft trying to promote Bing and Yahoo desperate for money.

I imagine Yahoo's own search engine still has some value. Dunno if it's valuable enough for Apple to buy Yahoo. Though I dunno if Apple really wants to get into this business this late.

And Apple has this weird thing about keeping things in a walled garden. They got lots of content on iTunes, but it seems like Apple really doesn't push this towards people outside of it's platform. And it's weird that Safari isn't even available on Windows anymore. And when Apple has a streaming event, you can only watch it on an Apple device. Seems like Apple is perfectly fine just keeping it's focus on it's own private world.

 

[mmntech]

And Apple has this weird thing about keeping things in a walled garden. They got lots of content on iTunes, but it seems like Apple really doesn't push this towards people outside of it's platform. And it's weird that Safari isn't even available on Windows anymore. And when Apple has a streaming event, you can only watch it on an Apple device. Seems like Apple is perfectly fine just keeping it's focus on it's own private world.

Apple's walled garden is both their biggest advantage (security) and biggest flaw (lack of flexibility and openness).

They've never seemed especially interested in web services beyond iTunes. Apple Maps tested the waters and it certainly wasn't a resounding success.