Hell and high water is upon us with reports that the Google/ Apple split may have resulted in Apple doing a tie up with Microsoft that might see Bing become the default search engine on the iPhone.
According to BusinessWeek, talks between Microsoft and Apple have been under way for weeks, and the talks are the result of Apple now seeing Google as their primary enemy with Android, and the Android phones including the Google sold Nexus One.
The report quotes a source saying that “Apple and Google know the other is their primary enemy,” and that “Microsoft is now a pawn in that battle.”
The deal is said to primarily consider search, but once that box is open, it’s not inconceivable that Google default apps including Google Maps on the iPhone might be replaced for their Microsoft equivalent.
As a die hard Apple user, all I have to say is “say it isn’t so Steve!” I understand Apple having issues with Google, but if I wanted Microsoft apps on my iPhone, I’d buy a Windows phone. Bundling Microsoft on the iPhone won’t help Apple in its fight against the Android army; indeed, Google is probably rubbing its hands with glee at the idea.
Sidenote: I’m not completely against what Microsoft might offer on the iPhone, but likewise their street view alternative is piss-poor to non-existent outside of the United States. I love Street View on my iPhone, and I don’t want to give it up.
