Earlier this week, it was reported that Google is replacing Bing as the default search provider for Apple’s iOS.
Losing that deal with Apple does not bode well for Bing and its ability to compete in the mobile search market.
So, what is Bing going to do? According to the CEO, the company is going to refocus its efforts on the PC search market.
At a recent newsmaker event, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated that Bing will be expanding on PC:
“Bing is a big business growing at a strong double-digit rate, and we see a significant opportunity for us even on the PC side.”
Bing was the default search provider for iOS since 2013. It will still have a small role in iOS though, as it’s going to continue to power image searches via Siri.
Bing holds on to only 1% of mobile search market share worldwide, and you have to wonder how many of those searches were coming from iOS.
Perhaps there’s more opportunity on PC, but the search market in general is migrating more toward mobile every year.
The opportunity that exists now may not exist in a few years. It seems like an odd time to be focusing on desktop, but time will tell if this move pays off.
