Microsoft’s repeated attempt to convince Apple to adopt Bing is a saga that has been going on for more than a decade. Leaked documents from Google highlight how this tech giant has consistently declined Microsoft’s advances, resulting in Bing holding a mere 3.4% of the search engine market share.
A Decade of Attempts
Microsoft held the notion of Bing becoming the default search engine for Apple’s Safari, with the records showing seven attempts made in 2009, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018 (twice), and 2020. The tech titan even went as far as suggesting a joint venture to Apple in 2018, yet Apple never relented.
Google’s Monopoly
Despite the consistent pushes from Microsoft, Apple has always picked Google as its search engine partner. Google’s dominance in the search market, a massive 91.5%, is partly protected by the several billion-dollar annual fee it pays to secure its spot on Safari.
Microsoft’s Investment
Microsoft has been pouring millions into making Bing a more user-friendly and attractive search engine. This includes modern features like ChatGPT, image search filters, news source filters, and others. The company continues to invest heavily in Bing, despite Apple’s continuous refusal and Bing’s low market share.
Benefits of Bing
In spite of owning only a small slice of the search market, Bing offers a modern and personalized search experience. Users are treated to a clean interface, visual search capabilities, and an attractive Bing Rewards program. Other appealing features include Bing Maps, social search, news services, and the recently introduced ChatGPT integration.
Apple’s Quality Demand
In the 2020 negotiations, the idea of Apple acquiring Bing was brought to the table. Still, Apple declined, citing “quality issues” with Bing as the reason. This refusal demonstrates Apple’s dedication to high-quality user experience.
