While we’re all waiting for Apple to unveil its AR/VR headset to take on Meta and Sony, a new report claims that Apple is quietly targeting another competitor with a less obvious effort. According to the Financial Times (subscription required), Apple is working hard to separate its core smartphone services from Google, including Maps, online ads and the biggest prize of all, search.
In its article, the Financial Times cites two former Apple engineers who are aware of Apple’s “grudge” against Google. Apparently, Apple never forgave Google for its iPhone-inspired Android operating system, and executives resumed Steve Jobs’ “thermonuclear war” against the company. Apple would focus on three main areas dominated by Google:
- Maps: Apple Maps’ rocky start hasn’t helped in its competition with Google Maps. But since its release a decade ago, Apple Maps has improved dramatically, with new internal maps and several features that rival Google’s tight integration, including the recent Business Connect that thwarts Google’s Yelp integration. and seamlessly integrates with iOS.
- To research: Apple has been developing a search tool for at least a decade and has been rumored for quite some time. Its acquisitions of Topsy Labs and Laserlike were key to this effort, which proved difficult and costly. It’s well known that Google pays Apple billions a year to be the default search engine on iOS, so an Apple search engine will likely be an incremental effort through Spotlight.
- Online ads: Lately, Apple has made major staff additions to its advertising group in an effort to compete with Google, including ads in the App Store. The Financial Times reports that Apple wants to create an ad network “that would reshape the way ads are delivered to iPhone users and keep third-party data brokers out of the loop.”
Apple’s solid reputation for protecting user privacy could be a huge advantage in this fight. Despite efforts to increase transparency, Google has a reputation for harvesting user data, and Apple has drawn a deep line in the sand between iPhone and Android phones. Particularly with search, Apple could position Safari as a privacy-focused browser like DuckDuckGo, creating an Apple search engine similar to Google’s original concept before it was inundated with ads.
Apple’s desire to overtake Google services on the iPhone is nothing new. The Maps contest has been around since Apple Maps launched in 2012, and rumors of an Apple search engine have been swirling around for years. And Apple’s recent advertising efforts have been noted with its App Store ads. Essentially, the Financial Times report is a reminder that this “silent war” continues with billions of dollars and iPhone users at stake.
