Yahoo wants to replace Google as the default search engine on Apple's iOS devices, according to a report Wednesday.
Recode has brought word from a Yahoo insider claiming the web company is focused on building a 'viable' mobile search engine, with the primary aim of wooing Apple away from its reliance on Google.
The report said Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and Adam Cahan (SVP of mobile and emerging products) is planning a pitch to Apple and has already created images of how the offering might look.
Apparently Mayer has already made overtures to Apple's Jony Ive, but hopes more serious discussions can take place soon.
Grabbing pole
"This is the aim of the whole effort here, to grab the pole position in iOS search," the Yahoo employee working on the search drive reportedly said.
"It will take more than pretty pictures though to convince Apple to give up Google, given its focus on consumer experience being top-notch. But Marissa wants it very badly."
Yahoo already has a pretty decent foothold within iOS with the Weather and Stocks apps both powered by the company. Yahoo search is currently an option, but Google is the default provider.
The report alleges that search is the Holy Grail for Yahoo as it seeks to expedite its recent turnaround as it could net the firm a billion dollars a year in fees from Apple.
The problem lies in convincing Apple and consumers that any new offering would be superior to Google, a field Yahoo, for all of its previous efforts in search, has rarely fared too well in.
