The Financial Times reported that Apple is developing an alternative to Google search.

If you recall, Google was the 13th search engine, following in the footsteps of many Directories (Yahoo!, Looksmart), Search (AltaVista) and Meta search engines (Dogpile, Metacrawler, Mamma). The Search battleground wasn’t won thanks to better quality (relevance) or speed, which are ultimately determined by Technology. Tech is one element.

You also need distribution and monetization.

With $55B in annual profits, $100B+ cash on hand, Apple can forego the $8-10B it receives from Google to feature its search on mobile. But Apple’s interest may not be in traditional search. Let’s break down phases of search:

– Text (articles): Google won.
– Images: Google won despite many legal assaults.
– Video: Google won by buying YouTube, which all the way back in 2011 I referred to as the greatest M&A deal of all time. YouTube replacing TV as the leading consumption platform, pulling in $15-20B this year is a testament to that.

So wherein lies Apple’s interest in search? Watch this video on Context.tv for the answer.