Apple should buy DukDuckGo to end reliance on Google: Analysts

San Francisco: Apple which earns over $7 billion a year from Google for it to be default search engine for iOS and Siri can end its reliance on Google if it acquires privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo, top analysts have said.

In a note to investors, Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi argued that while Google is the world’s dominant search engine player, Apple is in a relatively strong position to apply pressure to the Alphabet company, reports Barron’s.

While Google pays over $7 billion a year to be the default search engine for iOS and Siri, it is approximately 30 per cent of an estimated $25 billion in annual ad revenue Google generates from Apple devices.

If Apple buys DuckDuckGo, it can stop that ad revenue from going to Google and welcome that money into its kitty.