Bing could have been sold to Apple
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After Google lost its default search status in 2017, Microsoft discussed selling Bing to Apple in 2020 , but the negotiations failed.
Google's antitrust trial continues to reveal details about the company's relationship with Apple and how it affected other companies. Microsoft executives say Apple used Bing as a bargaining chip, but more details have emerged from anonymous sources.
According to a Bloomberg report, Microsoft has floated the idea of selling Bing to Apple in 2020. Negotiations were conducted with Apple senior vice president Eddie Cue, but, apparently, they never left the research phase.
Bing was the default search engine on Apple products from 2013 to 2017, but then Google took its place. The revenue-sharing deal with Apple left Bing uncompetitive even as Microsoft made radical proposals.
Eddie Cue took the stand on Tuesday and said that Google is the only option for Apple because it was and remains the best search engine option. The company is also not interested in building its own search engine to compete with Google, which explains why Apple is avoiding buying Bing.
Financial relations between Apple and Google are under close scrutiny by the US Department of Justice. It's part of a larger antitrust investigation to determine whether Google is using its money and power to prevent competitors from gaining a foothold.
