Apple Removes All Google Branding from Its iPhone OS 4 Search
The “Google” button which currently appears on the soft keyboards of the existing iPhones when a user is conducting a search has now been changed to simply read “Search” for the beta of the iPhone OS 4. This move eliminates any reference to the Apple rival.
The change had actually already been made for the iPhone 0S 3.2 for the new iPad, although the iPhone OS 4 beta for the iPhone that now shows that subtle tweak is likely to make it onto the Apple handsets sometime this summer, which is when the upgrade is going to be released. Until then, in the current iPhone OS 3.1.3, by using the Safari search function it currently offers a blue “Google” button, which is in the bottom right hand corner of the touch screen keyboard.
Also revealed recently is that Apple has added web search into the Spotlight search function in the iPhone OS 4. It’s worth noting that this option doesn’t mention Google either, it simply says “Search Web”.
What is and what seems to just be a very small change to the iPhone search function is actually perhaps something a little bigger. This change could actually add to the evidence that supports the claims from early this year of that Apple and Microsoft have been talking and working towards making Bing the iPhone’s default search engine. The current searching done through the Safari browser will go through Google by default and Yahoo if selected.
Back in March there was a profile done by the New York Times detailing the escalating rivalry between Google and Apple, and it’s reportedly become very personal. Part of the problem is that Steve Jobs had felt that Google violated their alliance when the phones that were based upon the Android mobile OS were released.
Schmidt of Google was forced off of Apple’s board of directors August of last year due to the:
• Introduction of Android
• Chrome browser
• Plans of Google to release their own netbook OS
It didn’t take long after that for the two companies to begin fiercely competing for acquisitions. This is made ever more apparent by the recent acquisition of AdMob by Google. Apple’s Steve Jobs admitted that they went to by the company but Google had “snatched” them away. Apple then turned and bought Quattro Wireless instead.
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