4 ms·

My parents are not tech savvy. However, they do know to 'Google' it. While they may not know how to change the home page it doesn't matter what device they are

by bobsy 14y ago

My parents are not tech savvy. However, they do know to 'Google' it. While they may not know how to change the home page it doesn't matter what device they are on. They go to Google to search. Even if that means finding Google through Bing. If they are doing this.. I wonder how much value this will actually be.

Me1000 14y ago
Do your parents know how to change the default search engine on iOS? The desktop is a different beast than mobile; I think most mobile users just use the "search field" and find what they want. (Edited for typo)
- igravious 14y ago
  Note that the GP said, "Even if that means finding Google through Bing."
- tych0 14y ago
  I think his point was that his parents don't just use the search field -- they use google. That is, they'll search for google and then they'll search for what they want. If google ever quits paying apple, this is the bet they'll be making. Who knows if they're right.
  - bobsy 14y ago
    This. I remember a phone call a while ago. My mother had taken her iPad to a hotel and "the Internet wasn't working." I spent 5 minutes trying to get her to identify which is the url bar and which is the search bar in Safari. In the end I gave up. My mother is smart.. i swear.. she just somehow doesn't get this. If she does accidentally use the search box it is to find Google which she almost certainly doesn't realise she is already using. Really this is my point. Parents are deeply non-tech and it is ingrained in them to use Google whether it is the default search engine or not. I am a bit techy and I always switch the default search engine to Google. Google paying this money doesn't do anything for my household or my parents. Between our two houses we have 5 iOS devices which are unaffected by this move. It is a tiny number but it makes me wonder how many more people are like this.
  - vidarh 14y ago
    One of my favorite "easter eggs" with Yahoo search (at least on search.yahoo.com) was that until recently, if you searched for Google, it would display a second Yahoo search box in the results with a text re-iterating that you could search the web via Yahoo to try to capture these types of users. (These days it gives a "Search the web with Google" box, and the same if you search for Bing or Yahoo itself).
bilbo0s 14y ago
I don't think users work that way on phones. Even on my android phone I just search. Now it is also true that the info I am searching for with my phone is quite different than the info I search for with my computer... I don't know... maybe that's the difference... the type of information. Not really sure... but I am sure that it never occurred to me which search engine I used on my phone. Or even if I borrowed someone else's phone to search for something, I never gave which search engine I was using a second thought. I am absolutely CERTAIN that I have never searched for Google... and then searched for what I was looking for... even with an iPhone I never did that. I don't know... maybe Google was always the default? Can't remember... but I seriously doubt people have time to "setup" a mobile search. That's not how I work on a phone and I suspect a lot of other people don't either. Even for maps... I hit maps... if Google comes up... that's what I search. If Bing or whatever comes up... that's what I search. I have never looked for Google maps... or for Bing Maps. Except on the desktop because I think Bing has that perspective "Bird's Eye" thing that's pretty cool. But I never used that on a phone, because it never occurred to me. I don't know... that's just me. I'm kind of always in a hurry though... ESPECIALLY on the phone.

by bobsy 14y ago

Me1000 14y ago

Do your parents know how to change the default search engine on iOS? The desktop is a different beast than mobile; I think most mobile users just use the "search field" and find what they want. (Edited for typo)

igravious 14y ago
Note that the GP said, "Even if that means finding Google through Bing."
tych0 14y ago
I think his point was that his parents don't just use the search field -- they use google. That is, they'll search for google and then they'll search for what they want. If google ever quits paying apple, this is the bet they'll be making. Who knows if they're right.
- bobsy 14y ago
  This. I remember a phone call a while ago. My mother had taken her iPad to a hotel and "the Internet wasn't working." I spent 5 minutes trying to get her to identify which is the url bar and which is the search bar in Safari. In the end I gave up. My mother is smart.. i swear.. she just somehow doesn't get this. If she does accidentally use the search box it is to find Google which she almost certainly doesn't realise she is already using. Really this is my point. Parents are deeply non-tech and it is ingrained in them to use Google whether it is the default search engine or not. I am a bit techy and I always switch the default search engine to Google. Google paying this money doesn't do anything for my household or my parents. Between our two houses we have 5 iOS devices which are unaffected by this move. It is a tiny number but it makes me wonder how many more people are like this.
- vidarh 14y ago
  One of my favorite "easter eggs" with Yahoo search (at least on search.yahoo.com) was that until recently, if you searched for Google, it would display a second Yahoo search box in the results with a text re-iterating that you could search the web via Yahoo to try to capture these types of users. (These days it gives a "Search the web with Google" box, and the same if you search for Bing or Yahoo itself).

bilbo0s 14y ago

I don't think users work that way on phones. Even on my android phone I just search. Now it is also true that the info I am searching for with my phone is quite different than the info I search for with my computer... I don't know... maybe that's the difference... the type of information. Not really sure... but I am sure that it never occurred to me which search engine I used on my phone. Or even if I borrowed someone else's phone to search for something, I never gave which search engine I was using a second thought. I am absolutely CERTAIN that I have never searched for Google... and then searched for what I was looking for... even with an iPhone I never did that. I don't know... maybe Google was always the default? Can't remember... but I seriously doubt people have time to "setup" a mobile search. That's not how I work on a phone and I suspect a lot of other people don't either. Even for maps... I hit maps... if Google comes up... that's what I search. If Bing or whatever comes up... that's what I search. I have never looked for Google maps... or for Bing Maps. Except on the desktop because I think Bing has that perspective "Bird's Eye" thing that's pretty cool. But I never used that on a phone, because it never occurred to me. I don't know... that's just me. I'm kind of always in a hurry though... ESPECIALLY on the phone.