I use Kagi and love it. It is a paid service though, which I know doesn’t work for everyone.
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Apple Wants to Help Google Defend Search Engine Deal Worth Billions
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Separate for the issue of a default search engine, Apple doesn't allow you to choose which ever search engine you want, just 1 of 5 options.
Imagine if Apple treated its home page settings like it does search, with a default home page to the highest bidder, and with only 4 other pages as options?
Imagine if Apple treated its home page settings like it does search, with a default home page to the highest bidder, and with only 4 other pages as options?
Apple's costs/investment is more than just one line or so of code on Safari. Part of it also involves keeping Safari and related devices like iPhone, iPad, and Mac relevant enough to maintain or increase Safari usage allowing them to send sufficient user search traffic to Google to generate the $20 billion or so annual payment.
I wouldn't go that far. There were a few good search engines around prior to Google's launch e.g., AltaVista, Lycos, Excite, etc. Yahoo! was also very popular pre-Google but more as a web directory.
They aren't being punished for being the "best" or "most experienced", it is about addressing their significant market power, control, influence, etc. in the search market and related activities. That's what antitrust/competition laws are about. The laws and regulations aim to prevent large companies/products from using their market dominance, power, control, influence, wealth, etc. to potentially stifle competition, engage in anticompetitive behavior, etc.
It's not unusual for large, dominant companies to be the best or most experience but that shouldn't make them immune to antitrust/competition laws or allow them to engage in anticompetitive behavior.
I thought about using Orion as main browser and then also would pay. But somehow Firefox doesn't let me out of its claws.
Do they offer anonymous payment options? I don't want to combine my complete browsing and search history with my credit card data.
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I've used DDG and Brave Leo for the last 5 years. I think I've reverted to doing a Google search maybe 4 or 5 times in all that time. The Google results are usually pretty useless, if I look for a handbook or an error code on something, Google usually gives me around dozen links for buying the product I am currently using and not happy with, before it gives any useful links...
I had DDG for years and finally got tired of not finding what I wanted in search. So I finally switched back to google for search.
Google should watch their back, if Microsoft could actually get bing to work as well as google there would be some real competition.
It’s not about that it’s fundamentally giving people a choice at the start screen because most consumers don’t bother going into settings to change it that’s why google pay Apple that much.
Apple should stop any agreement with Google. They are one of the most unethical companies in the world and doesn’t mix well with Apple’s stance for privacy
Im using Bing for the last two years and don’t miss Google a bit
Don’t get why this a big deal, you can just change it to a different search engine if you don’t wanna use google lol
This makes no sense at all. They’re looking use that money for development already. It doesn’t go to dividends. Thats just simplistic garbage.
That’s your opinion. My opinion is that there is coming garbage out of Apple since Tim Cook took over.
The M Series Macs are garbage?
The M Series iPads are garbage?
The Apple Watch (the most popular watch in the world) is garbage?
The AirPods Pro 2 are garbage? You know the ones, the ones that replace many $1500 hearing aids)
Even if you love to hate on Apple (ad nauseam) and prefer other brands, what basis are you actually applying to have such a radical opinion? But I feel you are certainly entitled to have opinions not based on fact, and I respect that you are on this forum, I just don’t understand what you get out of continually hating on Cook. But I do hope that it makes you happy.
Let us know, why any of those products are actual garbage. If you have any reasons that is.
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That’s your opinion. My opinion is that there is coming garbage out of Apple since Tim Cook took over.
i respect your opinion. We totally differ on those. Would be nice and respectful if you respect mine.
The whole software spectrum is bug ridden. macOS, iPadOS, iOS, watchOS.
The M-series of chips were nice, I’ll give them credit for that. But that didn’t last long because the Qualcomm chipsets took over.
Apple’s whole Ai adventure is garbage as is Siri. There updates only support a handful of languages with makes my experience lackluster.
Applewatch and all the other products only got some chip swaps and are basically the same products years after years after years.
There you have my opinion. You can have yours.
You’re forgetting that anything good that has come out of Apple since Cook took over was obviously because Jobs started it - even if it started after Jobs died. That’s just common sense. Cook is only a bean counter and probably doesn’t even know how to operate his iPhone, let alone innovate. If he knew what he was doing he’d have Apple publicly chasing every flavor of the week Android gimmick just like Steve did.
Whoever picked Cook to be CEO must have been an idiot who didn’t understand Apple at all.
In all seriousness, it’s going to be so funny in ten years when everyone on MacRumors is complaining about how Jeff Williams is an idiot and that he can’t hold a candle to Tim Cook’s Apple.
So true. Cook is often guided by his influence of Jobs.
I absolutely respect you having an opinion. It’s a Forum Rule after all.
Every OS has a mountain of bugs. Any bugs I may have on iOS, iPadOS, WatchOS, MacOS or tvOS is a minor annoyance. And I can’t seriously think of any. My aTV remote does lose signal once in a while though. My HP Windows Laptop on the other hand. 8 months old and I’ve regretted that purchase for the entire time. Should have bought a M1 Mini and used a VM. Now the HP is absolute garbage and I can explain why in so much detail. 1/2 is build and 2/3rds is software. And yes, I know that adds up to more than 100%!
Apple Intelligence is not that smart to be fair. But that doesn’t worry me. I don’t use Gemini, ChatGPt anyway. I only use Siri for Home Automation plus do conversions, take me to places and I works fine. I don’t want or need AI to run or steal my life.
That mostly true about Apple Watches, however my Watch 8 is dramatically better in every way to my wife’s Watch 5. It has more/better senses and naturally is better with battery life, connectivity etc. such is iteration.
You still haven't explained why any of it is actual garbage. You made up some stuff about bugs, which is really just a cliche and not explained. But I do respect you having an opinion. But saying it over and over doesn’t make this garbage thing any more than a fantasy, but seems to be an emotional response for your hatred of Cook. One can only wonder why. He’s does a lot for communities and seems to have a real sense of compassion for all walks of life, whilst still taking Apple to the stratosphere on the stock market and delivering mountains of premium products. Why do you hate Cook so much?
Obviously I can’t speak for @HJM.NL, but given my (checks notes) 17 years of visiting MacRumors, I think there are a few things going on with the subset of users who seem to viscerally dislike Tim Cook.
- He’s not Steve. Steve was one of a kind - a visionary. Anyone following Steve would be met with this.
- Rose-colored glasses of Steve. Don’t get me wrong, Steve was great, and I firmly believe Apple misses him, but he wasn’t anywhere close to perfect. But his missteps are forgotten with time, people only remember the good.
- Also, misremembering the rate of “innovation” under Jobs definitely happens. Apple has always been “late to the game”; they play in the fourth quarter and always have with a couple of rare (but to be fair, notable) exceptions. But because Cook doesn’t have Jobs’ product background, that gets interpreted as “Apple is behind” and “Cook copies, doesn’t innovate” where Jobs’ Apple got a pass.
- Steve’s passing and Cook’s ascendance to CEO corresponds with Apple’s rocket ship from scrappy underdog to industry behemoth. A lot of the criticisms of Cook are actually a criticism of how anyone, including Jobs, would run Apple given its current position.
- Related to the point above, Apple’s hardcore fans, those of us who have been using Macs prior to iPods and iPhones (I started on my dad’s Mac SE!) are no longer Apple’s target demographic. “Normal users” are absolutely more important than “techies with good taste”, which means some decisions made are going to be not to the techies’ liking.
- Most of Apple’s product categories are mature right now. There isn’t a whole lot of innovation in phones and computers because they’re mature, not because “Cook doesn’t know how to innovate”.
- Cook comes from the business side, not the product side. This is the “bean counter” criticism. “He charges too much for upgrades, he’s stingy on RAM” People have been complaining about Apple’s base models specs and upcharges for RAM and storage space for over twenty years now - I recently found a post from 2004 complaining about it. But that is forgotten and of course it’s the MBA Cook’s fault, Steve would have never.
- Because Apple is a behemoth now, and given the rise of social media, there is a lot more scrutiny. Investigations into potential new markets like cars and headsets are reported on breathlessly, new models are leaked by the supply chain years ahead of time - makes it impossible for Cook to “surprise and delight.” There is literally no way the iPhone unveiling could happen in 2025 - it would have been leaked way in advance. I’m sure Jobs did R&D into some clunkers too - we just never heard about it.
- Some people just genuinely disagree with the direction Apple is going. If that’s the case, Tim Cook is absolutely who should be blamed - he’s setting the direction. If I thought Apple was going down a bad path I’d absolutely be vocal about it, because I’ve been an Apple fan for over 30 years now and want them to keep doing well. (That said, I find these commenters are generally more reasonable in their takes than “everything Cook touches is garbage”).
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Thanks for taking the time to explain how you think about this. I respect that!
I can reply everything with the way how I see it. But that makes no sense. Let’s agree to disagree and respect each others opinions.
Have a good day