Yes, Microsoft wanted to sell Bing to Apple (which snubbed it)

According to the very serious media CNBC, Microsoft had proposed its search engine Bing to Apple in 2018. It is even a joint venture that Microsoft was considering with the Apple brand, which has always refused the advances of its compatriot.

This is indeed what is indicated in one of the documents filed by Google as part of an investigation which currently pits the American group against the American Department of Justice. The document also discusses the fact that Microsoft very regularly contacted Apple regarding its search engine.

No Bing at Apple

Still according to documents filed by Google, Microsoft would have sought by all means to make Bing the default search engine for terminals equipped with Safari. In total, no fewer than seven mergers took place, first in 2009, then in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018 (twice) and finally in 2020.

On this same date, discussions between the big names at Microsoft and Eddy Cue (Apple) would have taken place, concerning a possible takeover of Bing. On the Apple side, we have always refused Microsoft’s offer, citing ” quality problems » regarding Bing.

Google still superior to Bing according to Apple

For Apple, despite requests from Microsoft, the choice has always been the search engine offered by Google.

According to the Mountain View group, Apple would have always put the two search engines in competition, while ultimately believing that Google was the superior default choice for its Safari users. Remember that Google is obviously buying its place within Safari, with an (annual) price of several billion dollars.

Over the years, Microsoft has invested tens of millions of dollars in Bing to improve the user experience (including by integrating ChatGPT), and encourage more people to use it. According to StatCounterBing would now hold 3.4% market share, compared to 91.5% for Google.

Source : Windows Central