Report: Apple and Yahoo in Secret Partnership Talks

Datamation content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

Unnamed sources are telling media outlets that top executives from Yahoo and Apple have been discussing ways the two companies could work together more closely. That could involve promoting Yahoo content on iPhones and iPads or using more Yahoo data to power Apple’s Siri voice assistant.

The Wall Street Journal’s Amir Efrati and Jessica E. Lessin first broke the story, reporting, “The two companies have been discussing how more of Yahoo’s services can play a prominent role on Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices, people briefed on the matter said. Apps powered by data from Yahoo Finance and Yahoo’s weather site already come preloaded on iPhones. Some Yahoo data, such as sports stats, help power Apple’s voice-activated ‘assistant’ Siri. But the companies are discussing new arrangements, including possible deals to get more content from Yahoo News and its other Web properties loaded onto Apple devices or available through an expanded Siri partnership, one of these people said. No deal is imminent, said people with direct knowledge of the companies’ relationship.”

Bloomberg’s Adam Satariano confirmed, “Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) executives have discussed ways to collaborate more closely on mobile software, according to a person familiar with the matter. Yahoo Chief Executive Officer Marissa Mayer has met with Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet services, to explore ways Yahoo can be more deeply integrated into the software that runs on the iPhone and iPad, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. The Wall Street Journal previously reported the discussions.”

“Apple wants to rely less on Google’s services on its iPhone, but it isn’t ready to fully cut ties with the search and advertising company,” observed InformationWeek’s Eric Zeman. “The rift between Apple and Google has grown over the last 12 months. The late Apple CEO Steve Jobs accused Google’s Android platform of being a ‘stolen’ operating system. Apple has slowly been weaning itself from Google’s services, with mixed results.”

The Register’s Brid-Aine Parnell commented, “Cozying up to Apple would be directly in line with Yahoo! chief Marissa Mayer’s ongoing battle to make the firm a bigger player in the mobile market, while giving Cupertino a non-Google option for a number of mobile apps and services.”