We're starting to think that maybe iOS 6 really should be called 'F*#$ Google' edition. Even though the launch of Apple's new mobile OS is now only a mere three days away, they're still looking for more ways to stick it to Mountain View, and making friends with one of Google's biggest international competitors is no exception.
Apple is integrating Yandex's search APIs into its new in-house maps service, and the word on the street is that they're getting ready to take a page out of Microsoft's playbook by giving Russia's biggest search engine top billing on iOS devices in that country. Microsoft did the same thing almost a year ago by shipping Yandex on Russian Windows Phones, rather than their own Bing search, which hasn't gotten the warmest reception from international users.
One thing that's important to remember is that Yandex is not taking over mapping duties for iOS devices in Russia; they're just lending Apple their search algorithm for Russian queries, which means that they'll be the ones fetching you info on Russian restraunts and businesses. They'll also be providing results for any Russia-related queries, even if you're using the American version of iOS.
By entering into a partnership with Yandex, Apple is showing that they're very serious about ditching Google services on their devices. With rumors of a Baidu search deal brewing in China, maybe it really will only be a matter of time before we see Bing-powered default searches for American, and maybe even European, markets.
Source: TechCrunch | Image via Yandex
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