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Report: Apple 'Stepping Up Efforts' to Develop Alternative to Google Search
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I hope they create a search engine and don't sell the right to appear first like google does (wait, that's why google got sued!). Ever try to search phone numbers on google? You get all the fluff from the sellers of phone number search apps and not real results. Can it really be hard to give results, that return a name(or for privacy sake only return the business name), address, or tell you the number is phished?
The sooner I can totally cut the cord with Google, the happier I'll be. What is really frustrating is the slow increase of 'Captur' on web sites. These need to open up several google domains which I'd normally block. I'd love for someone to explain how a site for tracking a parcel benefits from a Captur?
Very, very frustrating.
Very, very frustrating.
And with Google you know the results are prioritized by who pays google more! At least they are transparent about it, says so right on top (oh wait, I just checked, they don't say that)
I agree that a selection screen during setup is the best option. That way, there is no “default” search engine, and people become responsible for which search engine they choose.
I think this makes sense from a corporate or development standpoint, but wouldn’t this be subject to an antitrust inquiry? Because if Apple is successful, then we would end up with a duopoly.
It's sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more people use a search engine, the more the search engine learns what results are good and bad, and the better it becomes. If more people used DUckDuckGo more often, it would become better over time.
It could be argued, but it would be a pretty weak argument.
First, history tells us that tech giants are no good at dethroning Google when it comes to search. Microsoft tried. Facebook is trying. So far, nobody has succeeded.
Second, Apple doesn't currently have a search engine, so buying DuckDuckGo wouldn't be eliminating a competitor or merging two competitors. The number of competitors before and after the transaction remains the same. Rather, it would making one low competitor more competitive, which is good for consumers.
Third, Google currently owns a search engine, owns a mobile operating system, owns a mobile software distribution store, and manufactures the hardware on which it all runs. So Apple wouldn't be trying to do anything that isn't already done.
Maybe when we search the uselessly generic names of Apple‘s apps (pages, music, podcasts, numbers) they might actually serve up useful results.
This is a weird take for an anti-trust concern. You have the largest phone developer in agreement with its largest phone OS competitor to use its competitor's services? This would have been like the US Gov attacking Microsoft for licensing Office to Apple back in the 90s. If they break up this deal, and Apple does develop its own search engine (assuming it isn't as terrible as Siri and causes Apple to go out of business), then Apple would keep its users even more in a bubble of its own and so would Google (e.g. there'd be lots of users that would decide to go with Android in order to be abler to use Google Search on its phones). Keep in mind, if Google is not the main search engine iPhone users use after some time when it is no longer the default, Google might decide it is better off not offering its search engine at all to Apple devices, to drive more sales to Android.
And improve, build upon it.
I’ve been using DuckDuckGo since the beginning of 2020 when I decided to ditch every google product (except a YouTube, I can’t escape that) and honestly, I haven’t looked back. Also I can decide where I actually want the search to be performed: on DDG by default, on Google using !g, on Wikipedia using !w... all from the top bar of the system browser (Safari in my case)
It's a good idea
But even for personal search Google gives me the best result by far
I hope Bing will continue to improve as we definitely need competitor
You forgot to add "for you" I have been using duckduckgo for years. Mostly for work related items to find out why one of our Cisco devices is acting up and I get the same results back from duckduckgo as I do for google most of the time.
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I absolutely loathe and detest voice control. It just jars against everything.
Don't get me wrong, I understand why it has appeal. I can see circumstances when it might be the best option. But even sitting here, on my own in a quiet room, I really can't get my mind and body to vocalise a search request.
I can think up a search term. I can imagine saying it so that Siri (or whatever) can detect it. But going the extra step to speak it - I really, really struggle.
when it comes to search, quick searching, no one even comes close. Everything always goes back to google/
And as soon as apple introduces their new search engine, the govt will step in and say it’s an antitrust issue like they beat Microsoft to death with back in the 90’s
