At one point in the tech industry, Microsoft offered Bing to be Apple's default search engine, but the Cupertino giant rejected it multiple times, until a final push in 2018. However, this offer from almost six years ago was also denied by Apple, remaining with Google's platform as the default search engine of various devices and operating systems.
The latest Google antitrust case regarding its default search engine among many partners revealed why Apple rejected Microsoft, shedding more light on their partnership.
Apple Rejected Microsoft's Bing and Here's the Reason Why
For many years, Microsoft tried to woo Apple into being their partners and go as far as to designate Bing as its default search engine, but for a decade, this failed.
Google's recent post-trial brief filed in the US Department of Justice's recent antitrust lawsuit revealed more about why Apple rejected Microsoft on its bid, favoring the Mountain View company over them.
"Microsoft search quality, their investment in search, everything was not significant at all," Apple's Eddy Cue said. "And so everything was lower. So the search quality itself wasn't as good. They weren't investing at any level comparable to Google or to what Microsoft could invest in. And their advertising organization and how they monetize was not very good, either."
Google's Antitrust Case Reveals More About Apple, Bing
In 2018, Microsoft reportedly changed tactics for selling Bing to Apple, but this too was rejected, as the Redmond giant's search engine "failed to improve." This unsealed court document from Google's antitrust case brought more information behind its dominance as a search engine provider, with its run on Apple helping the company grow more, preferred over Microsoft's contender, Bing.
Apple's Default Search Engine and Google
For many years, Apple remained with Google and used their technology to be the iOS and Macs' default search browser for various platforms like Safari, Siri, Spotlight Search, and more. Eddy Cue, Apple's Senior Vice President of Services, previously revealed why Cupertino's choice is Google, saying that what they offer was good, and no other platforms come close.
Amidst the massive controversy during the mid-2010s, there have been several reports about Microsoft's ramping plans to partner with Apple for this venture, leveraging Yahoo and Bing to be the new iOS default search engine.
However, this did not push through, and reports claimed that Google pays Apple $1 billion annually to keep its search engine as the default for iOS.
The antitrust case from 2020 is now wrapping up, soon giving Google a verdict on their actions which helped it remain the top search engine as it remained the default on Apple's devices, among other tactics.
Google's latest release shared more about the talks between Apple and Microsoft, leading as to why the Cupertino giant did not consider Bing to replace Google's, now more clear and absolute.
