Microsoft, Yahoo Fighting for Google's Spot on Apple Safari: Report

According to a report by The Information, both Yahoo and Microsoft have approached Eddie Cue, Apple's SVP of Internet Software and Services, to offer their Yahoo! Search and Bing engines respectively.

The report (via SearchEngineLand) suggests that Cue's decision will be based "on the quality of the product as much as the potential money made from search ads." Notably, Google since the iPhone's launch in 2007 has been the default option for Safari on iOS.

Search Engine Land's Greg Sterling notes that if Yahoo gets the Safari deal, Microsoft "will still benefit in terms of shared ad revenue".

Sterling further adds that the fact the two companies are competing in the space suggests Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is looking to soon separate from Bing, noting "Yahoo's Gemini mobile search offering is outside the Bing-Yahoo Search Alliance."

Last week, Yahoo replaced Google as the default service for online searches done through the Web browser in the United States. Since 2004, Google was the default option for Firefox searches and now with the new deal, which starts in December, Yahoo will retain the space for five years.

Making an announcement on the blog post, Mozilla Corporation Chief, Chris Beard had said, "We are ending our practice of having a single global default search provider. [...] We are adopting a more local and flexible approach to increase choice and innovation on the Web, with new and expanded search partnerships by country."

On the other hand, Marissa Mayer talking about the Mozilla deal, said, "It's one of the largest independently-directed search share opportunities available in the market," Mayer said, declining to estimate how much of a boost Yahoo expected to receive from the deal.