Oppenheimer: Bing deal could bring Apple more risk than reward

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  • Reply 41 of 127
    When Apple picked Google as the default search provider and Yahoo as the backup they signed those contacts with an installed base of zero, so Apple wasn't in a very good negotiating position.



    Now Apple has an installed base of tens of millions of iPhone and iPod touch devices. So… what is it worth now?



    I guess that it what Apple is finding out. Nothing more, nothing less. And they won't get a figure by speaking with Google alone.



    As for animosity — Microsoft and Apple are frienemies, they have been for years.
  • Reply 42 of 127
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    As for AT&T, the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the U.S., analyst Tim Horan said the discussion serves to highlight the loss of control the wireless provider has over its customer base, thanks to Apple and the iPhone. AT&T is on the losing end because it does not receive any of the revenue associated with software on the App Store, yet is the use of many of those applications that has resulted in poor network quality.



    "We believe this will intensify the service providers' promotion of alternative handset suppliers and their own applications market," Horan wrote. "We would expect the service providers to work more intensively with Google, Nokia, RIM etc. to create devices that are comparable to the iPhone, but this will take some time."



    The supposition there is that by working with Google, AT&T will somehow get a percentage of the revenue from the Android Marketplace?



    I doubt it.



    The whole "telcos should just be dumb pipes" debate is really going to hit the fan as these kind of issues (app revenues & apps using bandwidth) grow exponentially with the adoption of app-phones by more and more of the masses.
  • Reply 43 of 127
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DJRumpy View Post


    Agreed. I had to laugh when I saw that.



    Using the Google App you:

    Exit out of safari

    Find the Google app and open it

    Type in your query and then wait for safari to open your result on a new tab



    Besides the irritation of having to close safari to search with the Google app, you then end up with umpteen tabs open. It's just a hassle when I just need to look up some trivial fact or location.



    You're assuming that the user is already in Safari. If you are not in safari, typically you would open it and next have to find a safari page that you don't mind doing a search on so you don't lose the current page.
  • Reply 44 of 127
    I use Google religiously, but lately I have been finding it to not give me the relevance I was accustomed to. I am also finding the ads more intrusive in days past, but that might be from using a computer with different ad-block settings.



    Apple can't build a viable search engine of their own, but it makes business sense to weaken Google mindshare with options.
  • Reply 45 of 127
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post


    A dedicated app is always going to be better. Voice search is one of the obvious advantages. It's also just plain faster to hit the Google button than it is to launch Safari, and then find the tiny search field with your finger.



    Assuming you put the dedicated app in the dock. Safari's in my dock already (along with phone, mail, and SMS). Those four apps are more important to me in the dock than a dedicated search app for Google. Easier for me to just hit Safari and touch the very easy to find search box in the top right of the screen than it would be to try to find which of my pages the dedicated app is on.



    To each his own.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post


    Personally, I don't know any one who searches from that impossibly small, useless field in the mobile Safari bar and I'd think it a bonus to the UI if it was removed.



    Safari's search bar works just fine for me and everyone I know.



    Pretty clear from your multiple posts that you don't like Safari and prefer Google app instead. It's just one of those personal preferences things; you can't make blanket statements like yours that apply to the other 30 million iPhone users around the world. Thankfully, we have choices about what method to use!
  • Reply 46 of 127
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post


    Settings >Safari> Search Provider.



    already there, always has been.



    Since Safari on the Mac does not make it anywhere close to easy to change search engines I assummed that it would be the same on the iPhone. Thanks for this, I changed from Google to Yahoo in 5 seconds.
  • Reply 47 of 127
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AdamIIGS View Post


    I seriously don't want "BING" anywhere near my iphone, to be honest it's not even enough to be able to set another search as default like it is now, I just don't want it on my iphone.



    Amen! Come on Apple, don't do this to us.
  • Reply 48 of 127
    al_bundyal_bundy Posts: 1,525member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kent909 View Post


    Since Safari on the Mac does not make it anywhere close to easy to change search engines I assummed that it would be the same on the iPhone. Thanks for this, I changed from Google to Yahoo in 5 seconds.





    do you now feel dirty since Bing powers Yahoo search?
  • Reply 49 of 127
    al_bundyal_bundy Posts: 1,525member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DistortedLoop View Post


    The supposition there is that by working with Google, AT&T will somehow get a percentage of the revenue from the Android Marketplace?



    I doubt it.



    The whole "telcos should just be dumb pipes" debate is really going to hit the fan as these kind of issues (app revenues & apps using bandwidth) grow exponentially with the adoption of app-phones by more and more of the masses.



    Google shares add revenue with Android handset makers and the carriers. they are buying their customers just like Microsoft is with Bing.



    Something like 50% of Google's add revenue is paid out to "partners"
  • Reply 50 of 127
    Where've AltaVista (was my favorite one), and Lycos, and WebCrawler, and AskJeeves gone? Steve's hair was darker. So was mine...
  • Reply 51 of 127
    quinneyquinney Posts: 2,528member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by OriginalG View Post


    If Verizon signed a contract with Microsoft, does that mean if they are to bring the iPhone to their network, it would be obligated to use Bing? Perhaps this is the reason for this discussion? Google could remain the default on AT&T and everywhere else in the world.



    On the other hand, I don't think Version WebOS or Android devices are forced to use Bing, right? (disclaimer: i'm Canadian, so I have no clue)



    To me, this explanation makes more sense than that given by the analysts. Verizon may be obliged to make Bing the default search engine on new handsets going forward by their deal with Microsoft. Having Apple make Bing the default could be a prerequisite for a Verizon iPhone. As long as the default may be changed by the user, this should not be cause for alarm.
  • Reply 52 of 127
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aaarrrgggh View Post


    I use Google religiously, but lately I have been finding it to not give me the relevance I was accustomed to. I am also finding the ads more intrusive in days past, but that might be from using a computer with different ad-block settings.



    Apple can't build a viable search engine of their own, but it makes business sense to weaken Google mindshare with options.



    I know what you mean, I was completely dedicated to Google, but I've noticed with some searches it seems to put all sorts of stuff on the screen, especially if I search for a band or something, whereas it used to just be a list of search results with a couple of ads. I preferred that.



    I've used Bing a few times and actually quite like it.



    It has to be said, the fact that this is even a rumour shows how much things must have soured between Apple and Google.
  • Reply 53 of 127
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ivan.rnn01 View Post


    Where've AltaVista (was my favorite one), and Lycos, and WebCrawler, and AskJeeves gone? Steve's hair was darker. So was mine...



    I used to love AltaVista - that was the best pre-Google search engine in my opinion.
  • Reply 54 of 127
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by al_bundy View Post


    Google shares add revenue with Android handset makers and the carriers. they are buying their customers just like Microsoft is with Bing.



    Something like 50% of Google's add revenue is paid out to "partners"





    That's ad(vertising) revenue, not app(lications) revenue.



    Does Google share revenue from the selling of apps in the Android Marketplace to end-users with it's carrier "partners"?
  • Reply 55 of 127
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aaarrrgggh View Post


    I use Google religiously, but lately I have been finding it to not give me the relevance I was accustomed to.



    True. I believe the number of sites is no more in the range where their algorithm bests.
  • Reply 56 of 127
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PaulMJohnson View Post


    I used to love AltaVista - that was the best pre-Google search engine in my opinion.



    Well, Google is actually on its decline, too. Nothing lasts for ever.
  • Reply 57 of 127
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    The separate Google app does have its benefits, but if I'm already in Safari, I probably won't leave it to go run the app. I also don't tend to use programs that ask if I want it to know where I am, it's irritating and I don't want that. If I want location based searching, it's actually done well enough for me in Maps, where there is a legit need to know where I am.
  • Reply 58 of 127
    dluxdlux Posts: 666member
    Here's the trouble with using Bing - it's really just a way for Microsoft to push Silverlight. It may work fine now for platform-neutral searches and mapping, but once it crosses a certain marketshare threshold Microsoft will once again marginalize all non-Windows platforms by enhancing the results for those who use Silverlight, while degrading those who don't:



    http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/new...as-default.ars



    Given that the iPhone disallows third-party runtime environments (at least for now), Silverlight is a non-starter (as it should be, imo). So Apple embracing Bing and the baggage it brings would be in direct contrast to their current stance of controlling the whole widget with the iPhone. I just don't see that happening.
  • Reply 59 of 127
    I say ... bring the Bing.



    I've tried using it for some of my image searches that I use in my work ... I actually like it better for that than Google. I would prefer less clutter in the home screen though.



    In addition, Eric Schmidt would appear to be a slimy weasel so why continue to shovel them all the support?
  • Reply 60 of 127
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jblenio View Post


    I don't want a new map application! I like google's mapping software. I don't want to be forced into changing!



    I suspect Apple have their own Mapping system on the way so there may be better options coming,
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