Why Apple Replaced Bing With Google Search For Siri

Microsoft's Bing was previously the default search engine of Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri digital assistants.

Apple announced this week it is replacing  Bing with Google as the default search engine on Siri and macOS Spotlight.

Comparative tests done earlier this year showed Siri was the least smart digital assistant. Google Assistant was the best.

Google Assistant is Google Search done through voice commands. Siri can, therefore, improve it AI by tapping into Google Search.

Apple is smart to just hitchhike on the cloud and AI platform of Google.

Apple (AAPL) opted to use Microsoft's (MSFT) Bing as the default search engine for its Spotlight (built-in search app of Mac OS) and Siri in 2014. After reportedly paying billions of dollars annually to Apple, Alphabet (GOOG) (GOOGL) 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. However, it is undeniable that Apple just worsened Bing's already pathetic 2% (Bing also powers Yahoo mobile/desktop search) share in mobile search. Google will not get 99% share in mobile search.

(Source: NetMarketShare)

The chart above does not include searches made through Alexa-enabled Echo speakers, of which Bing is also the default search engine service provider. Digitimes estimated that Amazon (AMZN) will ship out 10 million Echo speakers this year.

Microsoft probably knew beforehand Apple's decision to drop Bing this week. It is likely why Microsoft decided earlier this month to have Cortana partner up with Amazon's Alexa digital assistant. Microsoft needed an ally so it can jockey better in the fast-growing virtual digital assistant market. Tractica projected last year that the global virtual digital assistant market's value will reach $15.8 billion by 2021.

Siri is one of the selling points of an iPhone. It needs to be more like Google Assistant to make iPhone customers more loyal.

What Apple Is Getting

Replacing Bing with Google Search can improve the artificial intelligence quality of Siri's answers. Stone Temple Consulting tested the most popular digital assistants earlier this year. Siri came out as the dumbest smart assistant. Siri has Bing for its default search engine but Apple probably did not program it probably because Microsoft's Bing-powered Cortana did better. Google Assistant came out on top largely because of Alphabet's massive search engine matrix.

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. Apple can improve the listening/comprehension AI of Siri but it can never match the library of knowledge that Google Search already has.

(Source: Stone Temple Consulting)

Google Assistant is just Google Search 2.0. Instead of using a keyboard and mouse to seek out answers online, you use voice commands on Google Assistant. Google Assistant is just new fashionable marketing alias for Alphabet's real artificial intelligence ecosystem, its search engine.

I typed "Google search ai" and Google provided the results below. RankBrain (Google's self-learning AI algorithm for the web) featured my Seeking Alpha article discussing Google Assistant on top of search results.

(Source: Google)

Microsoft shareholders should take note of the other featured search result above. A Google engineer, Anthony Levandowski, is developing an AI god. He is the guy who was fired by Uber (Private:UBER) for allegedly stealing Google's trade secrets on Waymo self-driving cars. My point is that Google has thrown enough money on AI research it is now the go-to partner for voice-based artificial intelligence.

Conclusion

Apple vastly improved Siri's IQ level when it decided to use Google Search. Apple doesn't have to waste time and resources building a massive library of encyclopedia for Siri. Apple doesn't have to spend money to expand its designated datacenter for Siri. Siri is going to stand on the shoulders of the great Google giant.

It is a symbiotic relationship. Google gets to further marginalize Microsoft's Bing search engine, Siri and Spotlight get to hitch on Google's powerful AI ecosystem.

Apple's only duty now is to improve Siri's Natural Language Processing. This can be done through better hardware and software. Apple's new six-core A11 Bionic SoC (System on Chip) has an integrated dual-core neural engine. That neural engine should improve Siri's comprehension level as it continuously learns from a person's speech pattern.

AAPL is a buy. GOOG is a buy. MSFT is a buy. AMZN is a buy. In spite having the most cash hoarded and annual net income, AAPL is the cheapest of these popular mega-cap stocks. AAPL consistently has lower Forward P/E ratios than Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.

Disclosure: I am/we are long AAPL, MSFT, GOOG, AMZN.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Source: Why Apple Replaced Bing With Google Search For Siri