In the mobile world, alliances are shifting as fast as a good season of the Survivor TV series. The latest shift, possibly seismic, is Apple versus Google, and a new report suggests that the growing competition between the purported allies includes the possibility of Microsoft’s Bing search engine becoming the default choice on the iPhone.
According to Wednesday’s Business Week online, the iPhone maker is talking with the giant from Redmond, Wash., about Bing. Currently, Google is the default choice for web search on the iPhone, as well as the provider of other iPhone services, such as maps and an iPhone-optimized YouTube player.
When Good Friendships Go Bad
Like two college guys splitting up their friendship over a girlfriend, Apple and Google have a considerable history together. On the friendship side, for instance, they have shared a common rival in Microsoft, whose Windows operating systems and office-productivity applications have dominated the desktop.
In addition, Google CEO Eric Schmidt served on Apple’s board until resigning last August. Dr. Arthur Levinson, chairman of Genentech, served on both Apple’s and Google’s boards until resigning from the Google board last October. Levinson continues on Apple’s board.
The “girlfriend” could be Android, Google’s open-source operating system that is rapidly gaining strength as a smartphone and netbook platform. A variety of Android-based smartphones have been released in recent months — including Google’s own Nexus One — and there is a growing Android Market.
There are also reports that Apple is investigating how to manage ads on iPhones, which would put it into direct competition with Google’s cash cow. This is no small matter for Google, as the majority of mobile ads are viewed through the iPhone or the iPod touch. On those devices, Google shares ad revenue with Apple.
According to Business Week, a Microsoft deal might mean that new iPhone owners…