| In addition to the iAd ad platform that is rumored | | | | months ago on some of the other Apple news |
| to be released, there are a few other things that | | | | sites such as Macrumors. If you read the |
| point to an Apple search engine coming in the | | | | description of the patents carefully they seem to |
| future. Walt Mossberg of Piper Jaffray has made | | | | be descriBing a form of categorization and/or |
| some salient points about Apple's desire to not | | | | search function that would do what in essence is |
| 'give the farm away' as far as data to Google | | | | combine functionality similar to the 'Genius' |
| goes among other things. | | | | function on iTunes with search. This would enable |
| As long as Google is used for search on Apple | | | | the entire internet to be parsed and sectioned into |
| mobile devices, it will have open access to see | | | | video, music, images and text and have the user |
| how iPhone and iPad users are using the devices. | | | | find 'similar' types of media. |
| They can then use this information to better | | | | The key difference it seems between the iGuide |
| compete with Apple with their own Android phone | | | | and a normal search engine would be the ability to |
| devices and upcoming Android tablets. | | | | search not only via text keywords as is standard |
| In addition, the mobile ad market is still in its | | | | today with Google, Bing, yahoo, etc, but to search |
| infancy. This is a market that Apple probably does | | | | or compare directly in other formats as well. |
| not want to cede to Google as there are | | | | Imagine being able to click on a song for instance |
| significant profits to be made there in the coming | | | | that you like and tell iGuide to search for similar |
| years. | | | | types of songs that you might like? Or imagine |
| So strategically, it makes sense for Apple to | | | | clicking on a video game that you like and having |
| create their own search for mobile platform. It is | | | | the iGuide search the net for other games of |
| the only logical way that Apple will be able to | | | | similar type that you would like? The same could |
| compete with Google in the mobile sphere long | | | | be done for images and any other kind of media. |
| term. But what would an Apple search engine look | | | | Results would then be shown not simply as lists |
| like? What would it be called? I've done some | | | | of text as they are on search engines today, but |
| research into recent Apple patents and have | | | | as iTunes like categories that fit with the kind of |
| come across what I think points us in the | | | | media searched for. In a nutshell, it's 'Genius' for |
| direction that Apple is going. | | | | the entire mobile internet. Of course, Apple might |
| In 2007, Apple applied for a patent on the name | | | | be taking search into an entirely different direction |
| iGuide. There are at least 3 separate patents that | | | | altogether but I believe this 'Genius' approach is |
| I can tell for that name issued to a dummy | | | | the most likely and that the 'iGuide' will break new |
| corporation called iGuide Media. IGuide Media was | | | | ground in mobile search. |
| outed as a dummy Apple corporation several | | | | |