“With iOS 7, Apple has not only made its Siri virtual assistant smarter, but has managed to further distance itself from Android maker Google by turning to Microsoft’s Bing as the service’s default search engine,” AppleInsider reports.
“When Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue took the stage at WWDC on Monday, he spared no time getting into the enhancements iOS 7 will bring to Siri, including deeper device integration, a wider range of source and, notably, a reliance on Microsoft’s Bing,” AppleInsider reports. “A number of Internet services are set to be integrated alongside existing Siri capabilities, including Twitter, Wikipedia and, perhaps most importantly, Bing Web search. Over Siri’s lifetime, the service relied only on Google for Internet searches, but in iOS 7, the assistant will pull from Microsoft’s servers as default.”
MacDailyNews Take: All that’s left to do is to remove Google as Safari’s default search engine.
AppleInsider reports, “Another feature noted at Apple’s event was the substantial changes made to Siri’s voice capabilities… In iOS 7, Siri’s voice has been updated, and if Monday’s demonstration is any indication, very closely mimics true speech.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Listen, we hate Microsoft as much as the next guys (okay, more; much, much, much more), but even we choose to use Bing over Google for certain things – like Bing Maps’ Bird’s Eye view, for one example. We’re still 100% Microsoft free here, and we don’t need to use Bing for anything, but the fact that we choose to do so for some things should speak volumes. Plus, anything that lessens Google’s stifling influence over online search is a Good Thing™, even if it happens to come from Microsoft.
Total dominance of anything, even if it’s from Apple, is just a Bad Thing™. It leads to stagnation and all sorts of other unappetizing consequences.
Also, of course, if you haven’t already, try DuckDuckGo! Safari users can easily add the DuckDuckGo Safari plugin by following the simple instructions here.
Google’s going to rue the day they got greedy by deciding to try to work against Apple instead of with them. – MacDailyNews Take, March 09, 2010
So they’ve dumped Google for Bing? Is there any real benefit here? Why not ‘think different’ and jump to a third party search engine?
I’m sure this went to the highest bidder.
Yup. I’m surprised Yahoo! didn’t get serious to win this, but maybe they did and Microsoft simply paid Apple more.
Yahoo search utilizes Bing.
I already removed Google as my default. I put in Yahoo. Still not willing to directly give Microsloth business.
I’ve been using Bing more lately and find it acceptable. Google is still the familiar choice and it will take a while to cut it loose. I use Bing on all my iOS devices, though. I’m awaiting an image search in Duck, Duck, Go to really kick the tires a bit…
Just use “!gi” at the start of your Duck Duck Go searches to use Google’s image search results. A native one would be good, but it’s better than nothing.
I been using DDG for about four months. It’s everything I need it to be. For image search options, you can also pull down the arrow next to the search terms to go directly to Google or Bing image search.
Thanks, chrish1961. I’m going to give it a try.
Thanks, DaveyJJ. I’ve been trying to avoid using Google, hence using Duck Duck Go. I’ll try the Bing search, though. Thanks much.
First it was Google Maps and its uber-useful Street View.
Now it’s Bing for search.
Can’t see the advantage, especially as I don’t care for Bing’s twitchy and erratic Bird’s Eye view.
StartPage accesses Google without allowing Google to record your IP address or tracking cookies.
https://startpage.com/eng/protect-privacy.html
MicroCrap & Windoze FREE since 2005. Praise Be to the Tech Gods.
Baidu Bing!
I do my best to use alternate browsers.
Unfortunately sometimes a good result of Google and it does seem to get a superior search results. This is of course after I drilled down into the google site and change the settings so that it does not personalize search according to their database profile of me.
I do my best to avoid corporations whose business models I disagree with (cough WalMart,cough Google, cough Verizon)
I use Yahoo for both Mac and iPhone searches. I wonder if it is feasible to change search engine for Siri.
I agree, though it probably won’t make any difference.
With rare exception, all industry in capitalism eventually consolidates into the battle between two mega-corporations (or regulated monopoly, where allowed by law). The last ones in internet search services are Google and Microsoft. Yahoo unfortunately sold its IP to Microsoft and now uses Bing’s search engine.
…capitalism eventually consolidates into the battle between two mega-corporation…s
…Then the two mega-corporations collude with one another in order to jack up the prices within the market. Witness Time-Warner’s collusion with Verizon in local ISP markets, etc. 👿
Dumping Google for Bing? How childish. Guess they’re bracing from all the lawsuits that are going to be coming from Google for blatantly ripping off Android.
No, I’m sure it was that Microsoft came to Apple and made Apple an offer it couldn’t refuse. After all, Microsoft is heavily pushing Bing with TV ads, etc. all over the place. And since Windows Phone isn’t selling, what better backup plan than to get your search engine as the default on iOS 7?
This actually was probably the best money Microsoft has spent in a long, long time.
Siri hands on for iOS 7 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDQ4O3sYEZA
The move to Bingo dumps Google? Not quite!
MS has admitted it uses Google results to supplement Binky results. 😯
I mad it a point to stop use Google when Microsoft launched Bing and before it was names Bing it was Live Search and before that MSN search. So I have seen Bing improve since I use it daily I notice the difference. Google is still ahead but Microsoft is very close now. I only use Google when Bing can’t find what I want. So bing has made fantastic progress since it’s launch. Huge progress. There is no reason to think it will not continue to get better. The thing is also that the more people use Bing the better it gets so you need the search volume to improve the experience.