Microsoft reportedly put Apple Bing up for sale in 2020 with the intention of replacing Google as the default search engine on their devices. However, this deal never materialized.

A possible meeting between two tech giants three years ago has only now come to light, Bloomberg reports. In 2020, Microsoft was reported to be negotiating with Apple to acquire Bing. This may seem like old news, but this information is only now coming to light as part of an ongoing US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) antitrust case against Google. The intent was for Bing to replace its search engine as the default on all Apple devices, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the discussions. That ultimately never happened.

Lots of talk

The discussions are said to have been conducted by Eddy Cue, Senior Vice President of Services at Apple, among others. It’s not illogical that he’s the one who negotiated the current deal with Google. Testimony in the FTC case shows that Apple had no specific interest in replacing the default search engine in its devices. The new iPhone 15 also comes with Google as standard.

According to Microsoft, Apple only used the negotiations to put pressure on Google to demand more money. As Mikhail Parakhin, CEO of Advertising and Web Services at Microsoft, put it: “It’s no secret that Apple makes more money from Bing’s existence than Bing itself.”

In addition, the iPhone manufacturer is said to have had reservations about the quality and performance of the Microsoft search engine. It has even been questioned whether Bing can compete with Google. This is consistent with Cue’s statement that there simply wasn’t, and still isn’t, a worthy alternative to Google.

Three years is a long time in the world of technology. There is now also Bing Chat, for example, but the AI ​​chatbot cannot immediately cause a stir for the time being.