“Apple opted to use Microsoft’s Bing as the default search engine for its Spotlight (built-in search app of Mac OS) and Siri in 2014,” Motek Moyen writes for Seeking Alpha. “After reportedly paying billions of dollars annually to Apple, Alphabet remains the default search engine for the desktop and mobile versions of Apple’s web browser, Safari. Consequently, I speculate that Microsoft probably did not offer enough incentive to Apple this year.”
“Apple decided two days ago to replace Bing with Google Search for Siri and Spotlight. Apple was still kind enough to retain Bing as the default search results provider for images,” Moyen writes. “However, it is undeniable that Apple just worsened Bing’s already pathetic 2% (Bing also powers Yahoo mobile/desktop search) share in mobile search.”
“Replacing Bing with Google Search can improve the artificial intelligence quality of Siri’s answers,” Moyen writes. “Nobody is blaming Bing but Siri had the second-lowest rate in comprehension and answering questions, just a tad better than the Bing-powered Alexa. However, Siri posted the lowest rate of accuracy in its answers. The incompetence of Siri is why Apple decided to replace Bing with Google Search. ”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Or maybe Google offered to pay even more to have access to people with disposable income and the proven will to spend it. Plus, Safari on Mac and iOS already currently use Google search as the default provider, so now the search results will be consistent across Apple platforms and services.
SEE ALSO:
Apple switches default from Bing to Google for Siri web search on iOS and Spotlight on Mac – September 25, 2017
Interesting. I did not know that Alexa used a Bing as a default. So why does Alexa appear to be smarter than Siri much of the time? Just wondering.
Possibly no function in Siri to ‘learn’ in the cloud as well as Alexa if at all.
“much of the time” not true
Because Bing f’ing sucks. Was stupid to use it in the first place.
IT was only a couple months back where in a test Siri was shown to answers questions generally quicker and more accurately that Google Assistant. Seems you spin a coin and get different results each time these sort of trials are reported.
Siri is largely an unused and unloved “feature”.
Eddie Cue must be responsible for it.
I guess it’s just me, but I use Siri all the time. Several times a day. I find it very useful. Of course it could be a lot better, as could all of these “assistants”.
Siri answers/dictates like I’m an ESL student, or I’ve got a mouth full of cheeseburger. Thinking I’m at fault, I’ve tried over/over to re- A N N U N C I A T E and it’s been officially determined, she’s an idiot, or full of spite. I’m hurt and I don’t trust her. A miracle is needed.
At this point I wonder what would happen if Search engine providers said “heck with it” and no provider paid to be default. Would Apple choose one or just give a list of providers for the user to choose from at first use of any App/System that needed to use Search. The option of creating their own search engine seems remote.
I’m still unclear about whether it’s possible for a user to change the search engine used by Siri. There are contradicting reports on the web and I have concluded that we probably can’t, but am not totally sure.
Some say that changing the default in IOS or Mac OS will also change Siri, but that doesn’t seem plausible to me.
However you can ask Siri to do a single search using a different search engine by finishing your request with “… on Yahoo”, or whatever.
. . . Because Bingo sucks.
. . . Because Boink gets much of its date from Google anyway. (Yes, Microsoft admitted it).
. . . Because Apple users (like me) consistently change their settings to NOT use Binky.