Microsoft offered Bing to Apple multiple times, court filings reveal

Recently released court documents in the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit against Google alleging that Google has a monopoly in web search reveal intriguing details about Microsoft's attempt to sell its Bing search engine to Apple in 2018.

According to CNBC's report on the court documents, Microsoft pitched Bing as a potential default search engine for Apple's Safari browser on multiple occasions, spanning from 2009 to 2020. However, each time, Apple opted against the move, citing concerns over Bing's search quality compared to Google's dominance.

The filing includes comments from Eddy Cue, Apple’s services boss:

Microsoft search quality, their investment in search, everything was not significant at all. And so everything was lower. So the search quality itself wasn’t as good. They weren’t investing at any level comparable to Google or to what Microsoft could invest in. And their advertising organization and how they monetize was not very good either.

Court documents shed light on the complex relationship and negotiations between the tech giants, with Google and Apple maintaining a lucrative partnership. Google pays billions of dollars to remain the default search engine on Apple's platforms, and it was this factor that reportedly influenced Apple's decision not to proceed with its acquisition of Bing, some sources claim.