Apple is working on an improved version of the company’s search engine used in its apps that could soon appear in more apps, including the App Store, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. In the latest issue of the weekly Power On newsletter, reporters pointed out that applications on Apple’s macOS and iOS can be equipped with powerful search engines. The Spotlight tool on Apple phones and computer operating systems also supports web results provided by third-party search engines.
Gurman said that John Giannandrea, who has worked with rival Google, is working on adding a new search engine codenamed “Pegasus” to iOS and macOS. The company could also equip the new search engine with generative artificial intelligence technology, similar to Google and Microsoft, he said, adding that the company’s upgraded search capabilities may not be limited to its own apps.
Gurman said Apple also has the technology needed to launch a search engine that can compete with Google. These include Applebot, the company’s web crawler that tracks new content on the web and displays web links in Spotlight search results. Likewise, Apple offers advertising spots in the App Store run by the company’s advertising technology team.
Gurman, meanwhile, said Apple continues to benefit from its deal with Google, whose search engine is a default option in the Safari browser on iOS and macOS. As part of an agreement between the two companies, Google paid billions of dollars to reach Apple customers who use Safari, its default search engine.
In addition to traditional search, Apple has also been looking to hire new engineers and acquire companies to develop new search technology for its products, suggesting that the company may be working on adding generative artificial intelligence capabilities to its search tools. Rivals Google and Microsoft have been integrating AI-powered chatbots into their search engines – Google Bad and Bing Chat.
Like its other products, the company has not said whether it plans to launch such a product to compete with Google, and details are unlikely to be released until the company is ready to launch the so-called search engine.
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