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Wow. This would be an epic shift!

Seriously. If this is real and actually happens, wow. Holy crap, this is huge. It'll be like giving a giant middle finger to Google. I REALLY hope this is just a rumor, or at least allow us to change it.

EDIT:
Look at your iPhone's Safari setting, there is a 'Search Engine' option currently offering two, Google and Yahoo. Bing may just want to be part of it.

Ok, this would make a lot more sense (and is a lot less startling). I wasn't aware that you could change your default provider on the iPhone. What I'm more concerned about now is Safari in OS X (and no, "just use another browser" isn't an answer).
 
Pardon my ignorance, but does the iPhone let you change the default search engine?

Yes: SETTINGS > SAFARI > SEARCH ENGINE

...there you will have an option to pick from Google or Yahoo. From what I understand, based on this post, Bing will be the default, then you should be able to pick any of the three as your choice for search engine. Bing might become the default, like Google is at present time.
 
Microsoft is the Kiss of Death

I never thought in a million years that I would ever consider dumping my iPhone, but any deal involving Microsoft will change that. AT&T is bad enough, but if you start dancing with the Devil, I'm out of here! I've spent too many years of my life trying to live as Microsoft free as possible to go back now. Perhaps I will end up having to jailbreak an iPhone after all? :(
 
... and Microsoft agreed to replace IE with Safari as their default browser. ;)
 
I'll google for life

Yahoo is blahh to me, never really liked it. Google has made such an impact on the internet and has become such a huge part of the culture. This 'bing' is just nonsense in my opinion. I could see apple trying to restrict the information as far as ad's go (between then and their recent purchases). But I don't see how using 'bing' would help them out there? I think the media is making this out to be more than it is.

And heck, how many of you used 'bing' for the first time since this story was posted? If you ask me someones riding on Apple's coat tails here... Ballmer let go of steve's turtle neck... your HP slate 15 minutes was up long ago...:rolleyes:
 
This is the reason Google is investing in the Android OS. Google realizes that Apple and RIM dominating the smartphone market is a risk to their search engine business. If it's only iPhones, Blackberrys and maybe WinMo then Google could get push out of mobile search.

From a consumer point of view, reducing Google's dominance in search is a good thing. Having one company (be it Microsoft, Google, Apple or whoever) with too much power is never as good thing.
 
So?

Internet search engines are pretty much just a commodity service now. I can't figure out why I should care one way or another which one they set as default. But playing Google & Microsoft against each other in any fashion does seem like a smart move for Apple right now.
 
I never thought in a million years that I would ever consider dumping my iPhone, but any deal involving Microsoft will change that. AT&T is bad enough, but if you start dancing with the Devil, I'm out of here! I've spent too many years of my life trying to live as Microsoft free as possible to go back now. Perhaps I will end up having to jailbreak an iPhone after all? :(

Implying implications.....

Seriously, what's going on with some people? As I said, you do realize there are MS products for OS X, right? Did you also know there is a Bing application for the iPhone??

X38 said:
Internet search engines are pretty much just a commodity service now. I can't figure out why I should care one way or another which one they set as default. But playing Google & Microsoft against each other in any fashion does seem like a smart move for Apple right now.

According to the article, Apple maybe working in a solution of their own. Apparently this will be only to buy some time. I guess the Google/Apple rivalry is real after all.
 
Implying implications.....

Seriously, what's going on with some people? As I said, you do realize there are MS products for OS X, right? Did you also know there is a Bing application for the iPhone??

....and that Bing will merely be another option, which will be set as the default search engine.

....and that you can choose to continue using Google or Yahoo!

:rolleyes:
 
Apple will eventually offer their own search. It will be optimized for mobile devices and be much more user friendly then either Bing or Google. I'm no fan of MS but I am liking Google less and less everyday.
 
Apple: DONT DO THAT! Seriously... At least I hope they keep google as an option like yahoo
 
I never thought in a million years that I would ever consider dumping my iPhone, but any deal involving Microsoft will change that. AT&T is bad enough, but if you start dancing with the Devil, I'm out of here! I've spent too many years of my life trying to live as Microsoft free as possible to go back now. Perhaps I will end up having to jailbreak an iPhone after all? :(

LOL! Love it and agree 100%. :cool::apple:
 
I think this has a lot to do with information control. I know when apple purchased "placebase" with an eye to create a maps.google.com replacement -it was mentioned that apple wanted to restrict the information being provided to google through end user searches.

If you havent looked at any of googles own rss news feeds they are a good read, the amount of analysis/statistics google can accomplish through their data warehousing is stunning. Everything from the spread of specific strains of viruses (based on keywords searched), the number of people in Indonesia using the internet, to the median distance from a users location to ice skating rinks found on google maps (which is 30km btw). The list goes on, both important and not.

I think the move of apple to potentially offer search and map services in the future has to do with a bigger picture of information being power. And the more they can chip away google market now the better.
 
I never thought in a million years that I would ever consider dumping my iPhone, but any deal involving Microsoft will change that. AT&T is bad enough, but if you start dancing with the Devil, I'm out of here! I've spent too many years of my life trying to live as Microsoft free as possible to go back now. Perhaps I will end up having to jailbreak an iPhone after all? :(

Same here!
 
It sounds like there lies the answer for the datacenter Apple has built. Not only for cloud services, but perhaps also to start hosting it's own mapping (and navigation?) services. Perhaps even search algorithms? :)
 
"Microsoft is now a pawn in that battle."

My, how times change.

They can change the default to Bing or Yahoo or Ask or even AltaVista or anything else if they want. Why would I give a crap as long as I can change it back to Google.
 
Maybe they wanna make a :apple: branded search engine, which is powered by bing. Ad free, or only ads from their own ad agency.

And it is getting the default with the next Safari Windows/OSX/Mobile update.

And once people are using it, and apple finishes its new data center, they turn on their own engine. :rolleyes:
 
Why are people so negative on this? Rabid Google fanboyism? Really, Google is a search monopoly right now, it wouldn't hurt to bust it up. Not only that, but what if Bing is better?
 
Why are people so negative on this? Rabid Google fanboyism? Really, Google is a search monopoly right now, it wouldn't hurt to bust it up. Not only that, but what if Bing is better?

People don't care if it may be better. All they hear is "Microsoft", and they curse it.

I'd bet that the majority of the people here bashing Bing have never tried it.
 
Actually, Bing isn't a bad search engine at all.

And for those of us who still use Google (quite a lot), we can just change it back in the Settings app. What's the fuss?
 
Sweet!

God, I don't like Bing, but I love the face I am picturing on a few hardcore fanboys, who take every opportunity to say how MS is dead, how crap it is... And now, Jobs sleeps with the devil.

This news is great for anti-fanboy sentiments. Let's celebrate, my friends! Personally, I haven't used Windows for a while now, but now I am planning to give it another go. But this... Apple using an MS search engine just made my day.

"- Er... Ballmer? It's Jobs. Er... can we use Bing on the iPhone?
- Bing? What the hell is that?
- Er... you know, it's your search engine. We've got a little problem with Google. Actually, we have a serious problem with Google. But we have this awesome device called the iPhone and...
- Hah, you don't say! Why don't you use your own search engine?
- It's difficult. But don't worry, we don't plan to use Windows on our computers.
- You still have that thing, whatever it's called... Puma, that's it!
- Actually, it's Snow Leopard...
- That's it, Leopard!
- SNOW Leopard, er...
- Whatever, do you want to come over and ask me nicely? Man, you shouldn't have messed with Google. Oh man, this is f@@@ed up! You are doomed! Hah, YOU are crazy!
- Brrr."
 
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