Microsoft is looking to build a "super app" that incorporates a messaging platform, shopping, web search, and news into a single app, an apparent attempt to go after Apple and Google's app store platforms.
According to a report today by The Information, Microsoft has been in the early stages of building a "super app" at the direction of the company's CEO Satya Nadella. Nadella has reportedly instructed teams at Microsoft to better integrate Bing, the company's search engine, into other services and apps, such as Microsoft Teams and Outlook, as a groundwork for the "super app."
Microsoft is not an entirely consumer-oriented company, with most of its business coming from selling software and corporate sales. Microsoft has reported ambitions to become more consumer-friendly, offering services directly to customers, such as the "super app." Microsoft has failed to acquire large apps and social media platforms such as TikTok and Pinterest in the past, which could have been part of the company's larger plans.
Today's report also sheds some interesting new light on Microsoft's unsuccessful attempts in the past to outbid Google to become the default search engine
on iPhone. Google pays Apple billions each year to stay the default on iPhone, and while users can change it, the default setting puts Microsoft's Bing at a disadvantage. According to The Information, Microsoft has had high-level talks with Apple to try and outbid Google as the default search engine but failed each time.
The report notes that Microsoft in 2012 ran a public relations campaign to show how Bing was more usable for people with a vision disability compared to Google. The public relations stunt was not "enough to win Apple's approval."
Article Link: Microsoft Considering Building All-In-One App for Search, Shopping, Messaging, and More
