http://readwrite.com/2014/11/25/apple-replace-google-search-safari-iphones-macs-ipads
A number of sites reported this week that Apple may change the default search engine for the Safari browser on its iOS products (phones & tablets) and computers from Google to Bing when their contract with Google ends later this year. Another trending new story reports that the company behind the popular Firefox browser plans to make a similar change over to Yahoo. I find these news stories fascinating because for many Internet users Google is the only search engine that they use, and some of those users, particularly the young ones, may not even be aware that other search engines exist.
Of course, users of Apple products will not be prevented from switching their default search engine back to Google if they are not happy with the change. However, I do hope that this change, if it goes through, will encourage users to expand their web search skills by trying a different search engine or two or three,
Google has become so ubiquitous despite concerns with privacy and with how the search results are determined. Many users find it difficult to "cut the cord" from Google because Google makes it so easy for them to find what they are looking for based on location and search history. Google is also very forgiving of spelling mistakes and not every search engine will ask 'did you mean?' and automatically link you to the correct results.
Librarians, in general, have always encouraged library users to look beyond Google when doing academic research. For example, we encourage users to use library resources -- websites, search tools and electronic databases subscribed to or recommended by librarian subject experts.For general Internet searches, we recommend that if users start with Google that they also run the same searches through other search engines and compare results. That way users are not limited to just the search results that the Google algorithm deems are best.
Those who subscribe to a technology determinist view will think it adequate to simply provide access to the Internet without providing training in how to use the Internet effectively -- especially when it comes to selecting and using Web search engines. I disagree. I think that it is very important to not only provide users with access to the technology, but that it is equally important to provide them with training, and to help them develop critical skills in thinking about their use of technology and related issues such as privacy. That's why I believe that these recent news stories about big tech companies potentially pulling away from Google is good news for tech consumers because it may expose more users to alternative search engines, and hopefully get users to think more critically about the search tools and web apps that they use on a daily basis.
