14 DAY TRIAL // Apple launched the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus a couple of days ago, and while the fruity-named company bragged about its new devices probably more than everyone expected, there’s one thing that Tim Cook didn’t say during the launch event.
The search capabilities of both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus are being powered by Microsoft’s very own Bing, the search engine that has evolved into a stand-alone platform that’s at the core of several very important products.
For example, Bing is powering the Smart Search option available in Windows 8.1 and is also the service that brings personal assistant Cortana to life in Windows Phone 8.1.
At the same time, it’s also available on several other platforms, including iOS and Android, through stand-alone apps, thus making it possible for everyone to use Microsoft’s search engine with their very own device.
Microsoft: Apple should thank us
In a statement released today, Microsoft says that Bing is making it possible for iPhone 6 users to search the web in a convenient way, as it powers the Spotlight feature of iOS.
“Underscoring Bing’s increasingly important role as a service layer across Microsoft and beyond, we’re excited to support the release as Bing will be powering the new integrated web search in iOS Spotlight. When you search on your iPhone or iPad, alongside the contents of your phone Bing will provide web search links so you can find information even faster,” Microsoft states.
“Bing was designed from the outset to be a great place for web search helping people quickly find what they are looking for and get more out of search. We are thrilled that all the great results people have come to know and love on Bing.com will now be available users on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch,” the company adds, emphasizing that most Apple devices are now relying on its search engine to find information online and on their smartphones and tablets.
Apple officially announced at the Worldwide Developer Conference in June that it decided to give up on Google Search for Microsoft’s Bing, changing the default search tool in the latest OS X and iOS versions.
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus specs
Of course, the powerful capabilities of the two new smartphones unveiled by Apple do not rely solely on Microsoft services, but also on high-end hardware.
For example, the iPhone 6 comes with a 4.7-inch screen with a resolution of 750 x 1334 pixels, an Apple A8 CPU running at 1.4 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of internal storage. The back camera is an 8 MP unit offering a photo resolution of 3264x2448 px, while also backed up by a secondary 1.2 MP camera with HDR, touch focus, face and smile detection.
The iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels, the same processor as the standard version, 2 GB of RAM, and at least 16 GB of storage space. Cameras are identical, offering the exact same photo quality.
Both devices are running iOS 8, which comes with search capabilities powered by Microsoft.