[shagie]

Creating a search engine without stepping in the patent / licensing minefield that Google and Microsoft have put down for each other is not necessarily a profitable or worthwhile venture.

Sure, they could write their own search engine (they also don't do large compute - so they'd be getting it from someone they'd be paying) but Apple would be paying for compute and licensing ... and not have any revenue from it ... and get in trouble with anti-trust or monopoly issues in Europe to boot.

Writing a search engine isn't likely worth the headaches that it would bring to Apple.