Apple and Microsoft are in talks to make Microsoft's Bing the default search engine on the iPhone instead of Google, BusinessWeek reported Wednesday, dpa reported.
If a deal can be reached it would mark arguably Microsoft's biggest ever coup in its battle against Google. The move would mean that millions of iPhone users would automatically get Bing as their main search engine, giving Microsoft the cachet of powering search on the trend-setting device.
The report underscores the growing rivalry between Apple and Google, which were once close Silicon Valley allies in their joint rivalry with Microsoft but have since found themselves in fierce competition in the smartphone arena where Google's Android operating system is seen as a major challenger to the iPhone.
Any Apple-Microsoft deal is likely to be temporary however, the report said. Quoting a "person familiar with Apple's thinking" BusinessWeek said that Apple is working on its own search offering and given the centrality of search and its tie to mobile advertising, "Apple isn't going to outsource the future."