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  • Is Apple Getting Rid of Google? Looks That Way!
Technology Articles > Software > Network & Internet > Is Apple Getting Rid of Google? Looks That Way!

Earlier this year, Firefox announced that Yahoo would replace Google as the default Firefox browser. News this morning suggests that Apple might be doing the very same thing in 2015 when the company’s contract with Google ends.

This means that Safari users might be seeing Yahoo or Microsoft as the default search engine instead of Google. Google has enjoyed and largely maintained a search engine monopoly for many years now, but the Google giant’s reign might be coming to a quick end.

Out With the Old

Why Apple and Firefox might be moving away from Google is simple enough, and it’s purely a business move. Both Microsoft and Yahoo want to take some business from Google, and both companies have been working very hard in order to gain some ground. Yahoo’s victory with Firefox has been huge for the company, and now that Apple’s contract with Google is about to finish, it makes sense for Apple to consider other browser options.

Apple will base its decision on how well each search engine performs, but also on ad revenue. Simply put, the browser that does the most for Apple when it comes to user happiness and revenue will with this battle. There’s another part of the equation, though, that also has to be considered. Some are speculating that Apple might be working on its own search engine.

Not a Big Deal

Google will lose some users if Apple moves to Microsoft or Yahoo, but the fact of the matter is that Google’s own browser is more popular than Safari is now anyway. So, most people that have Safari as a default tend to use Chrome anyway, which means that even though Apple might not support Google as its main browser, most won’t care.

Apple has been continuously working on replacing Google for some time across the board too. A while ago Apple replaced Google Maps with Apple Maps on iOS (granted, that didn’t go over too smoothly with Google Maps fans), and Apple has also removed YouTube from iOS as part of the pre-installed package. The more that Apple can get away from its Google competitor, the better off the company will be (and the more money Apple can keep in its own pocket).

A Google Search World

The vast majority of Internet users do not even think about Yahoo or other alternatives anymore, since Google has largely taken over the space. Those that do go to another option like Bing do so when something can’t be found through Google, but most people and companies focus on Google first. Clearly, Yahoo, Microsoft, and even Apple want to take some of what Google’s got, and it might just be Google’s time.

If competing companies are successful in knocking Google off of its mountain top, SEO companies and all those that work in the Internet world might have to start paying a lot more attention to other alternatives - and that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. Do you use anything other than Google?