Apple claimed that its deal with Google Search might not be necessary in the long run, while trying to save its partnership with Alphabet, Google’s parent company. This argument was laid out by Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, who made the case while testifying at the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust trial against Google. The case focuses on whether Google’s dominance as the default search engine on Apple devices violates competition laws.
Cue suggested that changes in technology — particularly the rise of AI — has changed how people searched the web, thus challenging Google’s dominance. He revealed that Apple plans to redesign its Safari browser to include artificial intelligence services like ChatGPT, Perplexity AI, and Claude. He also said that, for the first time, Google searches on Apple devices had dropped in April as more users turned to AI tools instead.
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“Technology shifts create opportunities,” said Cue, adding that these AI platforms could soon be added as official search options in Safari. However, despite all this, Apple doesn’t seem to intend to lose its partnership with Google.
Alphabet’s shares fell by 7.3% and Apple’s by 1.1% following Cue’s testimony, showing that investors take this deal really seriously.
While Safari currently uses Google as the default search engine, you can also switch to others like Bing, Yahoo, or DuckDuckGo. While Apple earns revenue from these too, none of them pay as much as the deal with Google does.
“It makes sense for Apple to highlight anything that supports the idea that Google isn’t monopolizing search,” said Brent Thill, an analyst at Jefferies.
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Cue didn’t talk much about how AI might deepen Apple’s partnership with Google. Google has already started shifting towards an AI-based search system, using Gemini. Today, when people search using Google — even on iPhones — they often first see AI-generated answers.
Cue’s comments are especially noteworthy considering Apple rarely comments on its future. His remark that “you may not need an iPhone 10 years from now, as crazy as it sounds” stands out, given how central the iPhone is to Apple’s business.