What turned into a pretty frenzied rumor this afternoon ended up being much ado about nothing, but there is something noteworthy. As the story goes,
TechCrunch reported that Microsoft was going to completely
replace Google with Bing as the search engine of choice for the
iPhone once
OS 4 launches next month. Enter
All Things Digital's Kara Swisher, who has a pretty strong track record on all things Redmond. According to her sources, what's being discussed isn't a full swap -- instead,
Bing is being considered for an "option" that users can decide between. None of this is what we'd call brand new gossip, and in fact, it sounds exactly like what we heard
back in January. So, discussions still seem to be ongoing four months later, which is pretty interesting. For its part, the original
TC article has been amended to say the issue is "more complicated" than originally presented. Hey
June 7th? You really can't get here fast enough.
posted May 28th 2010 10:24PM
seems like apple is a little upset with google...... Hmmm WWDC looks more promising
@clutchn
Actually people have been talking about this for about a year now... Mostly because.. Android...If Google decided to yank Google Maps on iPhone, Apple felt they needed to have an alternative tech.
Bing Maps and Bing would be fine. Of course, that also prompted Apple to buy a Maps tech company.
As long as there's an option to use Google then I don't care. I'll even go out of the way to use Google if I have to.
I'm a big fan of The Colbert Report and I missed the episode when Engadget went on notice?
Doesn't matter. It's a browser! People can use whatever they want.
Communists don't like google, so there might be a connection to why Apple would pick bing.
@StanT
Communists love Google.. that's why they tried to hack into their Chinese servers, and rip their algorithm...
HA.. you thought Google left China for some Moral reason? Oh man, that's rich
Why is this so shocking? Bing has become a prominent contender for searching just like Yahoo! and Google, in fact I still use Google but I'd rather use Bing than Yahoo!...
i hope bing will be the first option :) and default choice.
Bing is great! Google, the Big Brother should die in misery.
@malus Forgotten are the days when the mobs outcry was aimed towards redmond for their data collecting, home phoning operating systems...
What's with all this Lakers search talk? I love it!
This is taking it too far - why make the consumers miss out just because of some stupid war
wtf nononononononono!!!!
I always find what I need with google. I'm sure most of the time I would find what I need with bing too. Even assuming both were identical I would go with google because they are a company I feel good supporting. It's nice to have a non-evil corporation out there competing with the likes of Apple.
@ApocalypseGuppy Really? and today's Apple has provent to be the same anti-establishment underdog we saw in 1984. It's business, man, and Google is surely no saint either.
Why don't they just use BING! to decide FOR them which search engine they should use on the new iPhone? Duh.
So on Google I searched for ways to take screenshots on Windows 7, and it showed me the sniping tool which not only can tank images of the whole screen i can select which parts to save and cut out inside of it.
On Bing it just showed me pictures of Windows 7, I used the same search terms "How to take screenshots in Windows 7"
Im sorry but Bing fails miserably in terms of actually searching, although the score tracker for the lakers looks better on Bing
@remmus2k
Win7 hasn't ripped off the 'Grab' utility yet? Wow...
I use bing regularly, I haven't seen a noticable difference between the two.
Bing has a nice daily picture, big deal but bing image and video interface is far superior.
And Bing can be more precise.
I guess its more a matter of what you're use to as anyone can find examples for both engineers not searching properly. I guess I just have better things to do ;)
@redtalon I'm not sure the examples on either side, indicate that the results on one or the other are wrong, just different approaches. If I were to search for 'diseases of the rich' (something I always thought would be a great specialty), do I want a list of specific diseases, or a list of sites that cover 'diseases of the rich'? Different returns but both seem valid, like a search for 'search engines'.
Does this suggest that "usability" and actual features aren't what's important to Apple, just a petty rivalry?
@TOR
Usability? Its a Search engine ... who gives a crap.
You could use Excite.com and find anything.. its totally a commodity...this is about getting G and MS to bid for real estate on the hottest phone on the market...
CASH MONEY
I use Bing as a default but still use Google when I'm doing text string searches.
I'm rooting for Bing big time. Google seriously needs some competition on search and even though it would ideally be from someone other that MSFT, I'm happy to finally see a real, viable alternative.
@breaklaw
I agree with Google needing competition.Their PR system is flawed and easily exploitable, Hopefully the competition can bring about change.
Yeeeeees, Yeeeeeeees...... Microsoft will take out the competition with it's dirty bing bomb.
This should be interesting to watch. Lets see how many iPhone users remain, iPhone users, after apple tries to force bing down their throats.
@ady: If it's a choice, how is it "forcing"? You know that Yahoo is already a choice on the iPhone, right?
In a nutshell:
Jobs is more afraid of / angry at Google than Microsoft these days. Mark the calendar.
@Bahumbug
Ah, afraid? Or did you ever think that MS, who has hoardes of cash and no Search Marketshare... could just pay MORE than Google for access to the iPHone?
Don't you get it? Apple's playing these two off eachother.. its a cash grab, not a religious transgression... pfft..
Microsoft sucking at technology and trying to BUY marketshare is nothing new, ever heard of Yahoo?
i use Google to get to Bing...
Nice to see Engadet trumps over iPhone & Google on Colbert's list.
Google's results are easy to read, easy to distinguish from advertisements, and always produce the top result I am looking for.
http://www.google.com/search?q=chocolate+peanut+butter+wafer
http://www.bing.com/search?q=chocolate+peanut+butter+wafer
I hate using any device locked into bing as the default search.
It is far more likely that Bing is going to join Google and Yahoo! on the Search Engine option of the Safari preferences on iPhone OS. They want to give users more choices, not less... and the fallout of forcing Bing onto their entire userbase is not worth whatever money Microsoft could offer them.
who the hell use's POS Bing
@Makali First it is implied that MS has something to do with swapping out Google with Bing on an iPhone, now people are ascribing Bing to the Palm Operating System. I thought folks here were tech savvvy. ;)
@boriqua2000 Ah, that's because MS has clandestinely replaced the real Steve Jobs with an android (get the irony there?). They now call all the shots, at both companies, raking in profits from both sides of the fence while still appearing to compete [with themselves] Buwahaha, it's genius.
Ballmer: Steve remember the $150 mil Bill invested in Apple?
Jobs: Doh!
bing sucks
apple sucks
mommie steve sucks
the interesting thing about this is 2 years ago (see live search) no one would even dare compare the 2... i prefer Google but there is significant improvement on the Bing side... i wouldn't have even considered it before
Bing and crApple-hahahaha; boy do they ever deserve eachother!! What a joke.
Google is still far superior. If Apple were to cut Google search off the iPhone, I think Google would follow suit and pull maps, and then even more iPhone users would continue to switch to Android.
-Former iPhone user, sent from my N1.
I think Bing is a good search engine, and i find it useful, but i do agree that it is a bit slow. I still use google as my primary browser and it is more useful. Bing still needs work. It is my 2nd choice for search engine. I do like the mobile app of Bing. I do admit i think the Bing commercials are entertaining to watch.
i have to admit... i'm liking BING more and more (visually pleasing too)... but i won't be moving away from GOOG as my primary search provider anytime soon. this whole Apple vs. Google nonsense needs to stop. both sides benefit from each-other, don't you get it yet?
P.S. sill having fun monkeying with CUIL (http://www.cuil.com)
Bing is pointless, results are crappy and and it does nothing that Google cannot already do.
MSFT failed at "LONG TAIL SEARCH" , just face it.
does anyone actually use bing?
First off let me say that i am an Android use but, if i can. allow me to speak for iphone users.
I dont think that Apple should use anything less than the best although it may not be great for the company, the company needs to understand that they need to keep people happy and what better way then to always use the best?
I mean i know Google and Mac are at war but if google is paying Mac to be their search engine and the mass want google as their search engine then it should be so. Thats the problem when something is not open source. You have to comprise with what THEY want and i hate that
Personally if you like being controlled then fine but if youve been thinking about given Android a try you should check out what they have accomplished lately here: http://getyourgadgetsgoing.com/2010/05/25/android-milestones/
and then check out Android’s latest update here : http://getyourgadgetsgoing.com/2010/05/26/android-2-2-aka-froyo/
I mean just give it a try. Walk into a store and play with the phone….it cant hurt iphone users =/
does Bing map have 'Street View' ? i must admit that feature has helped me quite a few times even in my own town. the ability to 'simulate a drive' to the exact place i want to go on the web is both helpful and cool. my android phone may have contributed to my opinion, i guess we'll see how the windows phone will gel with the bing map.