It could definitely happen... But how does an outside analyst come up with a "70% chance". That's just funny.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said there is a 70 percent chance Apple will roll out a mobile search engine tailored for its iPhone within the next five years.

I heard the actual chance was closer to 73%. I guess they rounded down.

Okay, let's figure this out. MS launched their SE back in 2004. It took them about five years to get it right. So, Apple should have something interesting in about nine or ten years.

Do you think we'll still be using iPhones in 2020?

I think this is a great move on Apple's part but they need to have it "right" when they release it and they should have started on this 2 years ago ;-)

Apple could this and Apple could that...

May as well write an article about a 34% chance of aliens landing in Central Park on New Year's Eve in the next 5 years.

One, the prediction itself is so funny. Analysts made so many predictions before the iPad was unveiled and none of them turned out true..

Second, eWeek is so behind everyone. This news is at least a couple of weeks old..

Anand84, it was news to me. And interesting.

Of course, this is falling into Apple's overall, long-standing business plan. They control the user experience in a unique way, limiting options but providing, overall, a higher quality experience for the vast majority of non-technical users. This gives them a captive audience which allows them to charge more for some products and services. Consumers are willing to charge more if they perceive value.

They are gaining in the gadget biz and doing ok as an online service provider. But, I think iTune's share of the music market is starting to slip--I think it dropped to something like 92 percent. Hahahahahahaha.

Apple doesn't have the resources to create a search engine. I highly doubt this is going to happen. Anything they create will be inferior to Google and Bing so what's the point? Are they going to force users to use the Apple SE? Because that's the only way it would 'succeed', otherwise users would just switch back to Google.

As has been demonstrated, creating a legit search engine takes billions of dollars and many years of development. Google has thousands of engineers who just work on search all day. This would slow down Apple's ability to innovate.

Apple doesn't have the resources to create a search engine.

Apple doesnt yet have the resources to a create a search engine.

This would slow down Apple's ability to innovate.

Maybe because of their innovative ways this could help them to develope a mobile focused search engine.

Apple doesn't have the resources to create a search engine

As of today, Apple's market cap is 216.26B which makes it, give or take, the fifth richest company in the world, behind only PetroChina, ExxonMobil, ICB-China and Microsoft.

Google's market cap is 181B - well below Apple's.

Apple doesn't have the RESOURCES? Are you saying that only PetroChina and ExxonMobil can even attempt to buy a bunch of cheap computers and write an algorithm to crawl the web?

Will it come with a note saying "We're sorry about the crappy search feature but Google makes us cry" ?

I have no doubt that Google would have worked with Apple if asked. The anti-Google sentiment is reaching new extremes and in the end apple phone owners will pay for that. Not a great business decision if it happens.

No, Apple doesn't have the resources to build a solid search engine right now.

It will take them years to assemble a second-rate team and years more to put something together that will get them about 2% market share.

It would also be a bit embarrassing for company that relies on over-priced hardware sales to use cheap hardware for their search engine.

It will take them years to assemble a second-rate team and years more to put something together that will get them about 2% market share.

If Apple makes this new search engine, it will be tailored specifically for iPhone users, so they will have 100% of the market.

If Apple makes this new search engine, it will be tailored specifically for iPhone users, so they will have 100% of the market.

I wasn't thinking that Apple would spend all that money just to provide search results to iPhones. I'm not sure anyone could justify that approach.

If I had to guess, a better play would a meta search engine.

Apple doesn't have the RESOURCES? Are you saying that only PetroChina and ExxonMobil can even attempt to buy a bunch of cheap computers and write an algorithm to crawl the web?

A bunch of cheap computers and an algorithm does not a modern search engine make :-)

In this case resources actually means: hands on experience, research and years of trial and error (along with the reams of code that comes out of that).

And before you say they can just steal some experienced people from Google or Bing... Think Cuil.

Fanboys of Apple and Google are not disjoint. A lot many of the iPhone users would quit using their device if Apple is going to force them to use iSearch instead of Google. Well, a lot many are already feeling bugged with not being able to use services like Google Voice.

A lot many of the iPhone users would quit using their device if Apple is going to force them to use iSearch instead of Google.

I doubt that most users would care. Just us geeks. Most iPhone users I know just like the funky easy to use interface and the apps. And they can always bookmark google.com if they feel like it.

Well, a lot many are already feeling bugged with not being able to use services like Google Voice.

Really? I'd be surprised if there was any evidence that more than .1% of iPhone users really care about that kind of stuff. I'm a geek and I don't.

Either way, I can't see Apple building a SE any time soon.

Another thing to ponder: are we so so very sure that iSearch, or whatever it may be is going to be inferior to Google? This seems to be the assumption most people are making ("of course it's going to be worse, now are people going to care?"). I am not so sure.

If I know anything about Apple (and I don't consider myself a fanboy) is that if they decide to jump in it, they'll probably want to make it a completely different experience interface-wise.

Bing is essentially trying to imitate Google. Apple is sure to try to follow a different path.