Apple to launch a search engine?

 Source: https://www.coywolf.news/seo/apple-search-engine/

Google has been a default search engine for Apple's Safari browser for years. However, this might change soon as Apple is rumored to develop and integrate its own search engine, and there are numerous signs signaling this turn of events:

• Increased recruiting activity: Apple started recruiting "search software and programming engineers" more actively recently
• Spotlight Search: Apple bypasses Google search in its latest beta OS and instead uses alternative search engine
• Web crawler launch: Apple updated its Applebot support page by introducing web crawler having similar functionality with Google search engine and enabling further development of own in-house search engine
• Regulatory pressures: Apple might want to avoid potential issues with EU regulatory forces which already started taking an aim on the deal between Google and Apple for anti-monopoly reasons (Google pays Apple for an opportunity to be its default search engine)

Opinion: given the facts above provided by the author I also find the launch of Apple's own search engine to be very likely. Apple would clearly gain a lot from launch and massive adoption of in-house search engine, given Apple's exposure to Value-adding-services such as AppleTV, AppleNews, and its AppStore.  Search engine integration into Apple ecosystem would allow Apple to effectively advertise its services, AppStore apps and also weaken its competitor's position (Google's android OS and Pixel phones pose great competitive threat)